Order of the Arrow
by TheFrozenLion
Summary: The town of Elderwood is known for producing the best archers southeast of the Northern Mountain coming from their archery academy. Anna Andersen, like many others, aspires to be an elite archer and become a member of the Order of the Arrow. Anna gets Elsa Arendelle, a highly esteemed member of the Order, as her instructor and must survive her class to graduate. ON HIATUS.
1. Acceptance

Anna Andersen had a firm hold of the bow's grip as she drew back the arrow and bowstring with her right hand to her preferred archer's point-her chin-and held the arrow still while focusing on the target two hundred feet away.

Birds could be heard chirping and fluttering their wings in the distance and leaves rustled in the gentle wind.

Anna blocked out the outside sounds, she stayed focused on the task at hand. Once she measured the height and distance of the target, Anna let go her arrow.

It flew through the air toward the intended target at the speed of lightning.

And.

Then.

It.

Hit.

The.

Target.

Right in the dead center! Excellent!

Anna beamed and jumped for joy. She finally did it! She made a new personal record! For three years now since receiving her first rejection letter from the town's archery academy, Anna had been practicing long and hard in hopes of being admitted as a student.

Maybe, at the age of eighteen, she would finally be accepted and become one step closer to her life goal of becoming an elite archer and a member of the Order of the Arrow. That would be amazing if she could join the Order since they, along with the Elders, were some of the most respected and esteemed members of Elderwood.

The strawberry-blonde girl raced toward the target in the open field. When she reached it, she pulled it out from the bark of the tree and inspected the blunt. Still in good shape. Anna smiled with pride swelling in her heart. She was getting better and better each day. Maybe she truly had a shot to become an elite archer.

However, just before she could continue to revel in her personal victory, Anna heard her father call for her from the house. His firm yet soothing voice carried over to where Anna stood and reached her ears.

"Anna! Come in for dinner!"

"Coming, Papa!"

Anna quickly gathered the other arrows she had shot and put them in her quiver. She stole a glance toward the horizon to check how late it was and saw the sun was starting to set. She carried her bow in one hand and sprinted back to her home where her father waited for her outside the kitchen door.

He gave her a warm smile and spinning hug as she crashed into his open arms. He put her down on the soft ground after sharing a lighthearted laugh with her.

"Come on, my little hunter, Mama has supper ready for us. Let's get inside."

"Yes, Papa."

Anna's father ruffled the top of her affectionately before heading inside the house with Anna in tow. The strawberry-blonde young woman and closed the door, set her equipment down against the wall and took off her black, leather boots. Then she jogged to the bathroom to wash up. When she came back to the dining room table, she saw her parents smile at her standing over their chairs with food on the table.

Anna's mother had a particularly proud smile spread across her beautiful, lightly freckled face and had a hand on her hip. The other hand rested at her side with a piece of paper in it. She lifted her arm up and extended the hand with the piece of paper in it to her daughter.

"Here, Anna. This is for you."

"For me? Really?"

"Yes."

"Who is it from?"

"It's from the academy. Go on and read it."

Anna took the piece of paper and tore the red wax seal which the academy's signia-an embellished arrow pointing toward a target- on it. Then she unfolded it, flipped it around and read the contents.

Anna didn't need to read more than half of the letter's contents to know how she felt about it. Pure joy graced Anna's features as she realized that she had been accepted into the Elderwood Academy of Archery.

It finally happened. Anna was one step closer to becoming a member of the Order of the Arrow. She beamed at her parents.

"I'm in! I got into the academy."

"That's wonderful news, Anna."

"I know, Papa. I couldn't have done it without you or Mama's help. I couldn't have gotten this far without your support."

"You're welcome, darling. Now, let's eat and celebrate! You're going to be a great archer someday, Anna."

"Thanks, Papa."

Anna softly smiled at her proud parents as they sat down at the table and ate their supper. There had been much rejoicing during the meal and afterwards they helped Anna get ready to leave for the academy.

Later that night Anna was resting on her bed and stared obsessively at the acceptance letter she received. She still couldn't believe the luck she had. She may have gotten accepted into the academy a little late, but she was in. Besides, not all students were automatically accepted at the age of fifteen. Most students that came to the academy ranged from ages sixteen to eighteen. Only one student was accepted at the age of fifteen the first time around and that was the famed Elsa Arendelle.

Anna wasn't sure if Elsa Arendelle actually existed because she had never met or seen her. She was a very mysterious figure. Anna had heard that if anybody crossed her, she could be a very dangerous person. All she would need was a single bow and arrow to strike down an opponent. But Anna was undeterred by the supposedly dangerous Elsa Arendelle and was determined to be part of the Order. She wouldn't let some supposed prodigy stand in her way of reaching her life's goal. She would get it to somehow someday.

Bringing the letter to her lips, Anna kissed the parchment and then tucked it underneath her pillow. She turned on her right side and smiled as she spotted her personal belongings packed up and ready to go when she would leave in the morning and journey to the academy to make it her new home.

Anna closed her eyes and drifted off in a blissful sleep. A smile was plastered on her peaceful face.

TBC…

**A/N: The title of the story comes from an actual group of the same name that my brother joined when he was in Boy Scouts growing up. Apparently, Boy Scouts have to be selected after a certain age to join the Order of the Arrow kind of like a secret society thing where they'd do special regional projects and not eat a lot during weekend projects to instill a sense of sacrifice for the community to the scouts until the end where they got to eat well.**


	2. The Andersen Displacement

Anna rose like the dawn. She made her bed, grabbed her acceptance letter and personal belongings, and headed out of her room.

When she arrived at the dining room table, Anna saw her mother fixing breakfast and her father was seated at the table carving a new arrow. The strawberry-blonde placed her bags next to her equipment and sat across from her father.

"Papa, what are you making?"

"A good luck arrow for you, Anna."

"Oh?"

"When I got accepted to the academy, my father made me a good luck arrow so that whenever I felt like my luck was running out I could pull my lucky arrow, look deep into the wood to feel my father's spirit in it, and practice with it until I felt confident about myself and my skills as an archer. I had gone through plenty of rough patches while at the academy, but my good luck arrow would help me power through those tough times. And I want you to have a good luck arrow as well to help you through your toughest of times at the academy."

"Wow…" Anna took a moment to really appreciate the moment that her father was giving her a good luck arrow just as his own father did for before going to the academy. "And now you're giving me my very own good luck arrow?"

"Yep. I know you'll do great, Anna, but just as a precaution I'd thought you'd like to have a good luck arrow around in case you run into a rut at times while you're at the academy. Plus, it'll serve as a reminder for you that your mother and I are always with you in spirit and that you can graduate from the academy and become a member of the Order of the Arrow."

"Thanks, Papa!"

Anna rushed over to her father and flung her arms around his strong neck. He put his things down and chuckled as he wrapped his arms his daughter's body.

"You're welcome, Anna."

Anna pulled away from the embrace and beamed at her father.

"So, is the arrow almost complete?"

"It will be." Mr. Andersen picked up his things again. "I just need to finish carving and then polish it. Then it'll be ready for you."

"Okay."

"Did you wash up for breakfast?"

"No."

"Do that. Mama will have breakfast ready soon enough."

"Yes, Papa."

Anna did what she was told and when she came back to her seat at the table, Mrs. Andersen was placing the food on the table. Once everything was set, she sat down and Mr. Andersen had just finished polishing Anna's good luck arrow before setting it to the side.

The three of them shared a prayer and well-wishes before they passed around the food. Anna had to force down the smile that threatened to spill from her calm features as she recognized that he mother made her favorite breakfast meal-poached eggs and salmon, and porridge with raisins and honey- as a farewell gift. But by the same token, Anna had to force herself from crying because, as she realized that she wouldn't see her parents for a while, she had to stay strong so she could attend the academy. She just had to stay calm. She just had to.

After breakfast, Anna helped with washing the dishes. Then, she headed for the door to get her things. Just as she had adjusted her quiver on her back, her parents had just stepped toward her. They had neutral smiles on their faces. Mr. Andersen handed Anna her good luck arrow and she had placed it in her quiver. Anna looked at her parents.

"So…I guess this is it."

"Yep."

Anna's father patted a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, kiddo. We know you'll do great things at the academy. If you get Bulda as an instructor, tell her I said 'hi.'"

"I will, Papa."

"Okay." Mr. Andersen dropped his hand from his daughter's shoulder.

Anna turned to her mother. "Mama…"

"Be a good girl there you hear, Anna? Even if your classmates and peers are acting poorly doesn't mean you should too. You should be the bigger person and act accordingly."

"Yes, Mama."

"And take care of your equipment and follow the rules."

"Yes, Mama."

"Take care of yourself. Practice good hygiene, wear clean clothes, keep your room as you have here, relief stress when you can, and be careful."

"Yes, Mama."

"And try to write to us when you can."

"Yes, Mama."

"And Anna?"

"Yes, Mama?"

Anna stared at her mother waiting for another well-intended piece of advice. Mrs. Andersen tried to speak, but she couldn't, not with the way her daughter was looking at her. She started to get teary eyed and choked up.

"And know that your Papa and I love you very much."

Anna's heart had nearly broken in half at the sight of her mother almost crying. She quickly dropped her bags and swooped in to give her mother a comforting hug. Her mother instinctively wrapped her arms around Anna's and rested her chin on her daughter's shoulders, sobbing.

"My baby's all grown up and leaving the house!"

Anna could only rub soothing circles in her mother's back and hold back her own set of tears as the woman who raised her sobbed and sniffled. Anna's voice began to crack.

"Mama…"

Anna's father stepped in and encircled both of the women, holding them close to his heart. He rubbed his wife's back up and down her spine.

"There, there, dear. It'll be alright. It's not like Anna will never come back home to visit us."

At the mention of the words 'visit us,' Anna's mother began to cry harder. "Visit us?! She wouldn't have to 'visit us' if she just stayed! Oh, God….How I dislike departures like this one."

Mr. Andersen kissed his wife's temple. "You know she has to do this. We'll still be a family even if we're not all together at once. Now, will you let our daughter go so she can grow?"

Mrs. Andersen's crying subsided into soft, infrequent sniffles. She meekly withdrew from her daughter and husband's embrace. She swallowed a lump in her throat and bravely looked at Anna straight in the eye. Her daughter did the same with the same kind of courage.

"Right then. You best be off before you change your mind, Anna. The sooner you leave the better it will be. You're always welcome back home. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Good. Well, you should get going."

"Yes, Mama."

"Oh! I nearly forgot!"

Anna cocked her head to the side as she watched her mother race back to the kitchen and then scurrying up back to her again. She was holding something that seemed to be folded up in a towel. She gave her daughter a small smile as she handed the object to her.

"It's a little snack that I packed for you while you were talking to Papa before breakfast. This should help you make your journey from home to the academy a little easier."

Anna looked down at the packed snack and then back up at her mother, a watery smile broke out before she stepped forward to give her mother a partial hug. "Thank you, Mama!"

Mrs. Andersen softly patted Anna's back before gently pushing her away before she could bring on the water works again.

"You're welcome, Anna. Now, you best be off."

"Right!"

Anna turned to pick up her bags and found a way to balance her snack and bags in her hands. Then, she took a half-turn to look at her parents.

"Goodbye, Mama and Papa. I'll write to you two as soon as I can when I get to the academy."

Anna's parents joined together at the hip and waved goodbye to their daughter. "Goodbye Anna and good luck!"

Anna smiled at her parents. "Thank you! I'll be sure to make you two proud of me."

Her father said gently, "We already are, Anna."

Anna had to swallow down the lump that was forming in her throat before it could get to her. She gave her parents a brave smile and then swiftly turned away and headed out the door toward Elderwood Academy of Archery.

TBC…


	3. First Day of School

**A/N: All the names mentioned belong to Disney except for the names Cedric and Freyja. Also, Olaf's last name is a Scandinavian variant of the word 'winter.' And just so you guys know, this is a very technical chapter and it was hard for me to finish because of the small details. Also, a lot is packed in this chapter, but hopefully the other chapters will have a more established pacing to them after this one, or at least they won't be as technical as this one. Lastly, I'd like to give a shout out to Sharkamire. Thank you for your help that you gave for this chapter. :)**

**On a different note: I'd like to apologize for the wait. I was busy with a school project and I was overly stressed by Monday this week. And I mean it. I was so afraid my ecology lab partner and I wouldn't have the time to finish the project. But it worked out in the end right before we had to present and we pulled it off. I could then focus on finishing this chapter. Hopefully, future chapters won't be as hard to pull off as this one.**

Since travelling at eight in the morning for two hours, Anna arrived at Elderwood Academy of Archery at last. She stopped in her tracks to marvel at the building she would soon learn to call home and school that was a hundred yards away.

Eager to finally become a student of the academy, Anna resumed her travels and made headway for the check-up and sign-in table to verify her acceptance letter. When Anna got to the table, she gingerly set down her bags and gave her acceptance letter to a woman at the table.

The woman looked at the document scrutinizing its official seal and script before placing it on the table's right side. Without a word, she retrieved a small pile of papers for Anna to deal with. The first paper was a legal waiver for Anna to sign and for the woman to file away. The second paper was a check-in sheet for Anna to fill out which also would be filed away. The third and fourth papers was a wax sealed envelope and a flimsy piece of paper that had a tower number on it. Anna looked back at the woman.

"What are these?"

The woman at last acknowledged Anna's existence with a bored stare. She gestured to the flimsy piece of paper first. "That is your room assignment. On the front is the section of the academy you've been assigned to. If you unfold it, you'll see what floor you're on, which room, and who your roommate or roommates are if you get a double-occupancy or multi-person room. If you see no name that isn't your own, then you have a room to yourself." The woman then glanced over at the envelope and unceremoniously said, "That has the name of your instructor and class location."

Anna's face suddenly brightened up at the mention of the possibility of who she got as an instructor. The woman caught Anna's express and, just before Anna could tear open the envelope, she stopped her.

"Wait."

Anna looked up at the woman. "What?"

"It's highly recommended that students wait to find out who their instructor is after the tour and once they've been settled into their rooms. That way if they get an instructor that they weren't…expecting, they fall down on their bed or something. Plus, they can have time to switch to a different class before lunch. After lunch…Well, after lunch you'll be stuck with that instructor until you can a transfer."

Anna looked at the woman dumbfounded. She couldn't fathom why any student would have an issue in which instructor they got. Before Anna could ask, however, the woman seemed to know what was on her mind.

"Some instructors are harder than others. I mean, most instructors are fair to students, but there are a small few who are a bit harder and rougher around the edges. Actually, the youngest instructor is the hardest and strictest compared to most other instructors. That's why."

"Oh."

"Now, Instructor Kai will come to meet you and give you a brief tour of the academy so you know the essentials and then he'll help you to your room."

"Okay. Where should I meet him?"

"Just move to your left and wait for him. He'll be here shortly."

"Okay…"

Anna placed her papers and acceptance letter in her cloak's inner pocket and picked up her bags. Then she moved to the side and waited for Kai. Within a matter of minutes he popped up, exchanged pleasantries with her, and they proceeded with the tour. They walked past the archway of the outer parameter walls squared off by four, cylinder towers in each corner, crossed the courtyard and then walked inside the main building.

Kai showed Anna the side hallways to the front student towers, dining center, common room, library, garden, the main staircase to the second, third, and fourth floors, the back wings that had stairs leading up to the back student towers, and Gran Pabbie's office in the back half dome of the building. During the tour, Anna noted that the dining center was across the foyer from the common room and that the front side hallways were the immediate right and left of the main hallway and the staircases to the back towers where adjacent to either the dining center or the common room.

Kai guided Anna to the front right (or now the left) side hallway to her dorm tower. He escorted her to the seventh and final floor of the cylinder tower. There they encountered five doors labeled in silver as 7A-E and all of them had a "1" and a "T" in the front. Room 1T-7E was Anna's and was farthest and simultaneously the closest from the stairwell. (Yet the close distance taunted Anna since a rail and gap acted as a barrier for her to quickly reach the stairs.) When they stood in front of the door, Kai handed Anna a silver ring with two keys on it.

"The small, silver key will let you into the main entrance of the academy after-hours in case of an emergency and lets you into the dorm tower entrance when it's locked. The big, golden key is for your room."

Kai pulled out a silver pocket watch from his left pocket. He flipped it open and read the time. "It's nearly eleven." He put the watch away.

"Orientation lunch will be served at noon in the dining center. Students will officially meet their instructors at the designated location at one." Kai paused to give Anna two pieces of paper. They were the dining center schedule and the academy hours including a recommended curfew that is aligned with the locking of the main entrance at midnight. "If you want to switch to a different class before lunch, go to Gran Pabbie's office. He's the head Elder of the academy and the Order, so he can authorize any changes in the system including switching out students to a different instructor."

Anna carefully had put the papers in her right pants pocket. Then she readjusted the strap of the bag hanging from her left side. "Um...Mr. Kai?"

Kai gave Anna a fatherly smile. "Just Kai is fine. What is it, Miss Andersen?"

"I have two questions about the rooms."

"Yes?"

"What do the letters and numbers represent?"

"The number "1" and the letter "T" shows that this tower is the first one of twelve. Number seven is for the floor and the letters "A" through "E." are for the rooms."

"Okay. Also, I noticed that there are only five rooms and that I don't have a roommate. How many students are in each room? Because they don't look like they're the same size."

"There are 2,500 students attending the academy and of which 2,160 live within the boundaries of the academy while the other 340 live at the home in the town. A hundred and five students live in twelve towers with seven levels each and 15 students per floor. Each tower has five floors and each floor houses fifteen students each but with five rooms. This means that three rooms have four students to them and share two communal Water Closets and Bathrooms between them, one room has two, and one room has one student. The rest of the students live on the other floors within the main building and 200 of them share the second floor with the instructors but they have their own wings to keep to."

"Oh. Okay. Another question."

"Yes, Miss Andersen?"

"How many instructors are there and how many of them are members of the Order?"

"There are 100 instructors leaving them 25 students each. Half of the instructors belong to the Order. Although only a quarter of the Order are instructors at the academy. I am one of them and so is Gerda. The academy's Head Elder, Gran Pabbie, is an instructor and also leader of the Order. Elder Bulda is his second-in-commend for both the academy and the Order. Lastly, there is Mr. Vinter, Mr. Weselton and Miss Arendelle. Both of Weselton and Arendelle prefer not be called by their given names and are strict but knowledgeable instructors. However, Elsa is by far the youngest and toughest out of all of the instructors. But she's also one the best instructors of the academy and one of the very best members of the Order. Between Cedric Weselton and Elsa Arendelle, Elsa-while she may not give anything away about her real self so easily-is 'the lesser of two evils' if you know what I mean."

Anna cocked her head to the right. "Cedric?"

"Oh, right. That's Weselton's given name. It's the reason he preferred to be called by his surname because he's embarrassed by it."

"Okay…Why does El-I mean, why is that Miss Arendelle doesn't want to be called by her given name?"

"She doesn't want people getting close to her. Very few have the power or privilege to call her by her first name."

"Who?"

"Gran Pabbie and I have authority to call her by her given name. Although, she has given fellow instructor, Olaf Vinter, permission to call her by her first name. It is rumored that he is the only close friend she has since she is hardly seen with anyone else."

"Who are the other instructors?"

"Brock, Fritz, Thea, Astrid, Oaken, and Freyja are all excellent instructors despite not being members of the Order of the Arrow."

"Does everyone who enters the academy graduate from it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Some people simply drop-out."

"Oh…" Anna took a moment to let piece of information sink in, biting her bottom lip slightly. "How long does it take to graduate?"

"Between one to three years. Now, I really must get going. And you need time to settle in and find out who your instructor is before lunch."

"Okay. Thank you for your help, Kai. Sorry for keeping you."

Kai gave Anna an understanding smile. "It's alright, Miss Andersen."

"One more question."

"What?"

"How do you know my name?"

"I'm responsible for sealing each and every acceptance letter to be sent to each household, so I learn prospective students' names before they come to the academy."

"But how did you know what I looked like? I hadn't introduced myself yet."

"I remember your father when he was a student here and you look like him."

"Oh."

Kai patted Anna on the shoulder. "I have to go now. You can settle into your new room." Then Kai walked off with a confident silence following him like a shadow.

Anna turned to face the door. She shifted the keys in her right hand before gripping the golden one. She inserted the key into the doorknob and skillfully twisted the knob to open the door. Anna pulled the key out and lugged her bags inside her new room. Dropping her bags at the foot of the bed and shucking off her archery gear onto the floor, Anna plopped down on the soft bed. She sat up and pulled out the envelope from her cloak pocket.

Anna tried out the weight of the envelope. It appeared to be light-weight, but its influence of determining Anna's destiny as an archer weighed heavily on her shoulders. Whoever she got as an instructor greatly determined how hard her time would be at the academy. Especially if she got Mr. Weselton or Miss Arendelle.

Anna took in a deep breath. "You can do this, Anna. No matter who you get as an instructor you can still get through this and be part of the Order."

After a few moments of calming herself, Anna slipped her thumbs under the envelope folds and opened it up. She pulled out the folded piece of paper and unfolded it. On it was the name of her instructor she wasn't hoping for: Elsa Arendelle.

"Fuck," Anna whispered with a pronounced "f" sound. Anna took a moment to collect her thoughts. She had to remind herself that nothing or no one would stand in her way of becoming an elite archer and a member of the Order of the Arrow.

"No. I can't be intimidated by Elsa Arendelle. I can't let her get to me! I can do this! I will pass her class and graduate and become a member of the Order! I have to!"

Anna then looked for the class's location. She discovered that her first class will meet in the courtyard at one. "Hm. The courtyard. That doesn't sound too bad." As Anna recalled the courtyard was a nice and spacious area. She may have been there briefly but it had calming aura about it that made Anna happy about it.

Feeling a little better about her first day at the academy, Anna jumped from her spot on the bed and fist pumped in the air. "Woo! I'm going to be the best archer this town has ever seen! I'll make my parents so proud of me."

Once the excitement settled down inside of her, Anna checked her wrist watch and saw she had fifty minutes until lunch. She walked around and evaluated her small bedroom first. It was twenty feet wide and was fifteen feet long with polished wood flooring and the walls were a cream color. The bed rested against the east wall sticking out in the middle so there was space on both sides. A small, circular window laid in the middle on the east side of the bed straight across from the door. On the right side of the bed was a small bedside table with a lantern pressed against the wall and next to it was a small bookshelf. On the other side of the bed was a modest dresser. Next to the dresser were two clothing hooks attached to the wall and across the way of the dresser was an inverted corner that had a door labeled "WC and Bath." In the left corner of the door (when entering) and across from the inverted corner stood a small, wooden desk and chair with placed parchment and a quill and inkwell.

Anna thought that the bedroom would do for now, but with a few personal touches she would make it feel more like home. And so she went to work making herself more comfortable with her new room. First came the clothes. They were transferred from the bags to the dresser. Then came the bed sheets. They were a forest green color and Anna placed them over the barren mattress. Afterwards, she pulled out a matching pillow and comforter.

When the bed was set, Anna moved on to placing the few books she brought with her onto the shelf. Looking at the giant spaces that still needed to be filled with books, Anna wished she brought more from home but she could only bring what she could carry. Maybe she'd ask for some more books from her mother and father once she got back to the room and write them a letter. But she would worry about that later. She had to keep to a schedule. She checked the time again. It was ten minutes before noon.

Anna decided that she should start heading out for lunch. She grabbed her archery equipment and put it back on, making sure her recurve bow and quiver of arrows were properly secured with their leather straps on her back. She smoothed out her forest green cloak, readjusted her brown leather bracers on her arms, fixed her brown sash tied around her olive green tunic, and grabbed her keys. She took out the remaining pieces of paper from her clothes and placed them in the drawer of her bedside table. Then she walked out and locked the door.

During lunch, Anna didn't have much luck making new friends. The food was decent so she couldn't complain about the cooking. But she couldn't help but push around some left over peas on her plate.

She sighed. Anna didn't think she would have trouble making new friends. She was a very friendly person. But her problem, she realized, was that she knew all her friends back in the outskirts of town. Here at the academy, things were different. Things were harder. She didn't know anybody.

Without another thought, Anna scooped up the last remains of her lunch in her mouth and then picked up herself, the plate and water glass from the counter she sat at. The redheaded archer had put away her dishes and left the noisy dining center. Pushing her hands in her pants pockets, Anna went outside and wandered around.

As soon as she approached the courtyard, Anna saw a tall figure leaning against a wall. She advanced towards it until she could see "it" was a "he" and he was burly blonde guy with rosy cheeks. The closer Anna got, the better she could see that he had warm, brown eyes. She smiled. He seemed like a warm enough person to talk to. Anna advanced towards the young blonde man until she was three feet away from him.

"Hi."

The blonde guy glanced at her. He cocked his eyebrows in question. "Who are you?"

Anna pulled out her right hand to offer the guy to shake. She added a friendly yet guarded smile on her face for good measure. "I'm Anna Andersen. And you are?"

The guy conceded. He turned to fully face her and shook hands with her. "Kristoff Bjorgman."

Anna put her hand back into her pocket while he smile grew more genuine. "So Kristoff, are you a new student here at the academy?"

"No. This is my second year. Last year I had Elder Bulda as an instructor. This year I've been moved over to Elsa Arendelle's class."

Anna blanched. "You have her too?"

Kristoff blinked. "Wait…You have Arendelle as well?"

"Yeah." Anna took a moment to sink in that her new friend was also a classmate of hers. Her smile returned. "I guess that makes us classmates."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"If you're a second year then how old are you? Nineteen?"

"No, eighteen actually. I started at seventeen."

"Huh. I'm eighteen myself. By the way, do you know how the academy system on graduation works?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if it takes one to three years to graduate but you get a different instructor each year, how is it determined for a student to stay after the first year?"

"Ah…That's what you want to know. Well, Anna, if Gran Pabbie believes that a student has skill and promise to eventually pass the final test that would allow them to graduate from the academy, but they weren't challenged enough or if their instructor was too hard on them and didn't prepare them properly for the test, then the student may return for another year and or two. Sometimes an instructor will voucher for a student suggesting that the student has promise but needs to have an instructor who will be a better match for them."

"Oh…Okay. What determines who becomes an elite archer and become a member of the Order of the Arrow?"

Kristoff tilted his head toward the center of the courtyard where he had seen some students line up there. "Come on and walk with me. We can talk more as we get to the center of the courtyard. I think some of our classmates are gathering there."

"Okay."

Kristoff shoved his hands in his pockets and began to walk. Anna walked beside him.

"So, what determines an archer to be just a graduate or a member of the Order?"

"Your status as an archer is determined on how well you pass the test at the end of the school year. If you do just fine, you're just a graduate. If you do exceedingly well, you are dubbed an elite archer and automatically become a member of the Order."

"Oh. Okay…." Anna had so many other questions to ask, but she didn't want bother Kristoff, who just a student himself, and ask him questions he may not know the answer to or doesn't care to answer. Regardless, she still had one more question for her new companion and she just dying to ask him.

"Do you know what Elsa Arendelle looks like?"

Kristoff kept his gaze on the arrangement of roll-call squares outlined by chalk ahead of them. "No."

"Why not? Aren't you a second year student? Wouldn't you know what the instructors look like?"

"I know what most of them look like except for Elsa Arendelle. Hardly any of the students have ever seen her since she started working at the academy as an instructor. The only students who've seen her are in her class and they haven't really seen her outside of class."

"What do you know about her?"

"Not much. All I know is that she was accepted into the academy at the age of fifteen, graduated after a year, became a member of the Order, and then finally an instructor at the age of seven teen."

"Wow…Hold old is she now?"

Kristoff shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. She can't be that old considering she is the youngest instructor the academy has ever seen. One of the toughest too, but that's what I've heard. I think the other instructors know she's the toughest, but they don't want to unnecessarily scare away any of her potential students. It wouldn't be fair to her as an instructor, especially since she's also the most passionate about archery."

"Huh. What's your opinion of her? Are you ready to take her on as an instructor?"

Kristoff stopped walking and turned toward Anna with a serious look on his face.

"I'll be honest with you, Anna, but I'll deny everything if you say anything about this to anyone else." He took in a big breath. "I'm terrified of her. I know most of my knowledge about her probably comes from rumors, but I can't help but think she might be some of the things other students have said about her. You know, being strict and scary and stone-faced."

"Okay. Do you think there's more to Miss Arendelle though?"

"I don't know. I guess the only way to find out is see her first."

Kristoff and Anna continued to walk in silence until they randomly stopped at a set of roll-call squares. They looked down at their feet. Kristoff had the number "12" while Anna had "13." They looked at each other with equal amount of curiosity.

"Did Bulda do this in her class?"

"No…This must be something Arendelle does."

The duo then took in their surroundings. They had noticed that there were three sections of roll-call squares. The left and right ones each had two columns with five rows and the middle section stood out by itself with one column and five rows. With further inspection, Kristoff and Anna noticed that the middle section had numbers one through five. The right section had even numbers on the left column and odd numbers on the right. Over at the left section, even numbers were on the right and odds were on the left. Over all there were twenty five squares.

Anna leaned over toward Kristoff staring at the set-up. "This is a weird roll-call."

"Tell me about it."

Over at the left section, some students were talking and snickering. Anna looked at them and then back at Kristoff. "Are they snickering at us?"

"Probably. I had them as classmates last year. They're just a bunch of assholes, so don't bother with them."

Anna straightened out her posture and looked at the ground. "Okay."

Kristoff took note of the despair in Anna's voice. He looked at her and noticed that she had craned her head downward. His mouth twitched a little and his heart swelled with sympathy for the new girl. He hesitantly placed a hand on her back.

"Hey. It'll be okay. I'm sure we'll make it through this class together."

Anna lifted her head up to face Kristoff with a glimmer of hope in her teal eyes. "You really think so?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Anna's face brightened at that encouraging response. Just then, someone tapped Kristoff's shoulder. The blonde guy turned around and his instantly smiled. Facing him was a man with a similar height and build as Kristoff with dark brown eyes and mop-like hair.

"Sven!"

"Hey, Kristoff."

Kristoff lunged forward and lifted up his best friend. After a quick squeeze, Kristoff had placed Sven on the ground.

"It's good to see you again, Sven. I didn't know you were assigned to Arendelle's class as well."

"Well, you know, I wasn't. Once I caught wind that you'd be in her class, I switched out of Weselton's class and into Arendelle's just so we could hang out more. I mean, if we're going to suffer, we may as well suffer together."

"More like be gay together."

Kristoff, Sven, and Anna all turned their attention toward the auburn haired man who had fuzzy sideburns, a smug look on his face and evil twinkling in his light green eyes.

Sven and Kristoff growled together. "Hans…"

Hans chuckled as he took the number "1" spot. He gestured toward Anna. "I see you two ladies recruited an unfortunate soul to be part of your loser bandwagon." He put his hands on his hips and turned fully to face Anna. "Hey, cutie. Come over here and be my number two.

Anna grunted. "No, thank you. I'm fine where I am."

Hans frowned and dropped his hands to his sides. Then he looked down at the number Anna was standing on and smiled. Mirth filled his eyes.

"Fine. Stay there. It's befitting that you got number 13, the unlucky number. I bet you're the biggest klutz and loser in this whole academy."

Anna gritted her teeth and balled her fists. She was about to charge at him when Kristoff held her back. Hans laughed and then turned away from them, smiling to himself as he look out at the front of the roll-call waiting for the instructor to come.

"Let me go! I'll tear that asshole to shreds!" Anna struggled against Kristoff's hold, but she would not give up.

"Anna, let it go. He's not worth the trouble. He'll just keep messing with you if you let him."

Anna struggled in Kristoff's arms until she lost the will and energy to so anymore. Then she calmed down and he had let her place her feet back on her number.

Anna crossed her arms like a petulant child. "Fine. But this isn't over. I'll show him."

"Anna, I don't think you want to compete with Hans Westergaard. He's a really good archer. The only reason he's here again is because Weselton accused him of cheating at the final test. He had to convince Gran Pabbie to come again to a different instructor, so he could graduate. And Gran Pabbie let him, but apparently he gave Arendelle as his new instructor. I may be terrified of her, but I hope she puts him in his place."

"No. I'll put him in his place. I'm sure Miss Arendelle could easily put him in place, but I want the pleasure of beating him at his game."

Sven shook his head. "You're crazy, you know that, right?"

"I don't care. Besides, I think it would be interesting to have a rival. At least I'll stay on my toes if I have a rival of sorts."

"Whatever you say, Red."

Anna then seriously looked at Sven. "By the way, we haven't been properly introduced."

Kristoff blushed. He nearly forgotten Anna was beside him when Sven came around. He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right…So Sven, this is Anna Andersen. Anna this is my best friend, Sven Carlson."

Anna smiled and offered Sven a handshake. He took it.

"Nice to meet you, Sven."

Sven smiled back at Anna. "Nice to meet you too, Anna."

Anna's smile faltered to a flat line. "And please don't call me 'Red.' The name bothers me."

"Why?"

"Red is the color of blood and I can't stand looking at blood if I can help it."

"Okay."

Anna's smiled returned to her face. "Thanks for understanding, Sven."

Sven shrugged. "No problem."

Then Sven looked from the backside of the courtyard and toward the academy's entrance. After a quick look at his pocket watch, Sven looked back at Kristoff and Anna.

"I need to find a spot. It's nearly one and I think our instructor is approaching."

A flash of panic crossed both of Kristoff's and Anna's faces. "Elsa Arendelle is coming!"

"Yeah. Talk to you guys later."

Anna frantically looked around. It appeared that more of their classmates filled up roll-call squares as she and Kristoff talked with Sven. She was worried that he wouldn't be near them, but then Anna noticed that Sven thankfully took the number "4" square right across the way from Kristoff on his left. Anna briefly calmed down. But then she turned to watch her instructor come towards the class and felt her stomach drop.

"Oh, God…Here she comes," Anna whispered.

Anna turned back around to avoid making eye contact right away with Elsa Arendelle. She didn't want to prematurely look at her instructor and already feel like a nervous wreck at the start of class. Remaining steadfast with her resolves, Anna stared at the front of the class. As Elsa walked past by, Anna only caught a glimpse of a blue tunic and dark blue cloak from her peripheral vision.

When Elsa was at the front of the class, she turned around dead center, spread her legs apart and put her arms behind her back a la military general. She wore lean and crisp black pants tucked in at the knee with impeccably polished brown leather boots. She scanned the crowd of twenty five students with icy blue eyes under a fringe of golden-white hair poking out from her immaculate French bun. At her right hip hung a sheathed dagger and her exquisite bow that was littered with fine, minute details that could express a whole society's history with finely carved-in symbols if it was crafted that way.

Everyone stood stiff in front of her, including Hans. But he had to put on a brave face since he was closest to her and she could scrutinize every flaw of his if he showed any sign of fear before her.

Once she knew her students were ready for class, despite reading their fear-laden looks that told her that they could easily wet themselves at any given moment, she cleared her throat. At the sound, some students stiffened up more and others relaxed a little.

"I'm Elsa Arendelle and I'll be your instructor for the year. You shall only call me Miss Arendelle. If you attempt to call me otherwise, you will get an earful from me and then some."

Those who had relaxed before went back to being stiff. Elsa spoke with a tight lip and unconvincing voice.

"Don't worry. I may be a strict instructor, but you will learn much from me and if I see potential in any one of you, I will help you reach your full potential."

Elsa relaxed her stance and waited for any reactions just as she had done years before.

TBC…


	4. The Arendelle Method

**A/N: This story is not meant be absolutely historical. I will try to make it so that things that existed during the time of the 1840's are implemented in the story. However, because this is an AU, I will bend the rules a little and implement things that may have been possible at the time, but may not have been known to other countries right away. Take for example the spreading of the knowledge of a belief or practice.**

**As for Veoviing, I have fixed the error in the previous chapter. I mean to imply that Elsa is not seen by many students outside of class time. I wanted to allude that she is a mysterious figure by not being seen by many people for most of the time. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear before.**

"Now class, we're going to do some simple exercises. You will need to take off your cloaks, bows, and quivers for the exercises."

The class looked at each other quizzically before doing what they were told, making sure they had neatly set aside their things. Elsa continued without missing a beat.

"First, drop down and give me fifty push-ups."

The class groaned. Elsa glared at them. They whimpered and quickly went to work on the push-ups.

Halfway through and one guy, Number 21, had the gall to complain about the exercise for one reason or another. He never heard the end of it for complaining from Elsa.

After the push-ups, Elsa had her class run a mile around the courtyard in five minutes. Once they were done, she ordered them to jog to their numbers and hop on one foot fifty times on each foot. Some of the students would stumble and Elsa told them to start over again.

As her students hopped on their feet, she walked up and down the aisles created by the middle section. When she came across Anna she noted that she was sweatier than most other students but she was holding her own in the exercise. Elsa turned away silently from Anna and kept on inspecting other students.

By the time she settled back into her usual militaristic stance at the front of the class, her students were done hopping and looked like they were ready to fall to their knees. All of them were huffing and heaving. Their foreheads had a thin layer of sweat and their knees trembled. Some people coughed as they tried to resist the urge to collapse to the ground. Elsa waited for them to catch their breaths.

Number 7 had his hands on his bent knees and looked at Elsa. "Miss Arendelle, can we have some water?"

"_May_ you have some water, and don't forget the '_please_' at the end," Elsa corrected.

"Sorry. May we have some water, _please_?"

"No. Not yet. You guys may have water after a little bit more."

Those who were still able enough to groan did. But they quickly regretted it after receiving a hard stare from Elsa.

"You can have your water break once you do fifty reps of lunges. And take them nice and slow!"

The class straightened out their backs. They centered themselves in their squares before getting into the proper lunge position and begin their fifty reps. They went slow and steady just as Elsa told them to do. For the duration of the lunge exercise, Elsa watched over her students. She noticed that some students would finish before others, standing in their squares waiting for her permission to get water. She'd make eye contact with them and then gesture with her head toward the well giving her students permission to get their water. Little by little, small waves of her students would come back from and leave for the drinking well.

While most of her class were done with their lunges and waiting for their next orders, some were still working on them, particularly Numbers 13, 14, and 15. Elsa took special notice of the redheaded Number 13 as she seemed to sweat a little more than her classmates. Elsa didn't have time to have her class wait for three lollygaggers.

"Numbers 13, 14, and 15! Pick up the pace a little bit and get your water. The class won't want to wait for you three forever."

They did as Elsa commanded except Anna struggled a little to pick up the pace but eventually finished her reps and got some water. When she got back, she quickly returned to her square and faced the front of the class.

"Okay, class. You're doing better than I expected so far, but now it's time to move on. Take some deep breaths."

The rhythmic sounds of deep inhales and exhales could be heard across the class. This lasted for a minute or so before Elsa instructed the class to stop. Elsa told her class to watch her lead and began to lift a leg with her hands until the sole of her boot rested on her outer thigh. Then, she stuck out her arms at their full length parallel to her shoulders and held her position with her palms pressed together and her elbows sticking out. The class copied her movements and when they were still enough she spoke up.

"A good archer must exhibit great balance, flexibility, patience, stamina, strength, accuracy, and speed. If you want to be a great archer, then you must add onto the attributes of a good one with respect to all other archers-friend or foe-and for other people in all walks of life, loyalty to fellow countrymen, good posture, hygiene, and manners."

After a minute, Elsa paused to put her leg down and pulled up her other one. Her students followed her example.

"And excellent archer must be a good leader, be willing to lay their lives down on the line for the safety of others, be able to hunt well to provide for other at any given time, and have basic medical knowledge to care for fallen comrades and injured civilians in a time of emergency. We will work on these attributes each day and some may have more focus on any given day than others. For today, we will give equal focus on each attribute. As time goes on, we will have days when we'll focus on one or two of the attributes more than others."

Then, when the next minute was up, Elsa slowly put her left leg down as she had done with her right and let her hands fall to her sides. Her students copied her, but with less decorum. Elsa didn't comment since she knew it would take time for her students to adapt to such an exercise. In the corner of her eye, Number 10 was raising her hand. Elsa faced her.

"Yes?"

"Are we just focusing on the attributes of a good archer for today and work our way up?"

"Good question, Number 10. For the time being, I suppose it'll have to be 'yes.'"

"If so, then how much more do we need to do?"

"I have already had you guys work on stamina, strength, speed, flexibility and balance. All there is left to do is work on accuracy."

The class waited for Elsa to give them her command. She pulled out her pocket watch and checked the time. It was nearly two in the afternoon. She put her watch away and looked back at her class.

"Class, put your cloaks, bows, and quivers back on. We're going to shoot at targets now."

Elsa began to walk away as her students scrambled to put their gear back on and follow her away from the academy and out to an open field lined with targets that took an hour to get to. She stopped her class at a hundred and sixty four feet away from the targets and faced them in her military stance.

"This will be the last exercise of the day. The point is for you to be as accurate as possible. When you have shot all of your arrows in the same ring on the target, you may retrieve your arrows be done with the exercise. Once I give you the go ahead, you may return to the academy. If you run out of arrows and have not hit the same ring or if you have missed the target, then you have to retrieve your arrows and start over until you reach your goal. It is three o'clock now. You will remain here until you are done with the task. Everyone will line up where I am and remain in place while shooting unless you have to get your arrows."

The class began to approach where Elsa was. She moved out of the way to let her students line up. They got their bows and arrows ready and pointed to the best of their ability toward the target that stood a hundred and sixty four feet away from them. They drew back their arrows with their dominant hand and waited for Elsa's signal.

She sucked in a breath and looked at her students' stances. They were all ready to go.

"Fire!"

Arrows flew through the air like lightning. Most of them had hit the intended targets, yet some of them fell a few feet away while others shot over the target by an inch or so. The archers continued to shoot their arrows until they ran out. None of the students got all of their arrows in the same ring or even on the target the first time. It took some of the best archers of the group several tries before they completed their goal, retrieve their arrows, and wait for Elsa the go-ahead to return to the academy.

The number of students shooting dwindled after an hour passed. About half of them still stood, shooting arrows, and then running off to get their arrows again. By the second hour, only four students remained. Another half hour later only found one student remaining: Anna.

Elsa closed the giant gap between her and Number 13, but kept a respectable distance away so that the redhead could keep her focus. Elsa could see the frustration shining in Anna's eye. She could see her throat ungulate with worry. Elsa could see the tear that wanted to take form, but was forced back into the eye as a shimmering light. Elsa saw great potential, but she also saw a great struggle warring inside the redheaded student.

Anna knew Elsa was nearby, but she ignored her. She was so close in finally reaching her goal. All she had to do was focus and get her last arrow on the same ring of the target as the others. Just one more arrow and she could be free of her instructor's scrutinizing gaze. Anna had released the arrow and let fate push it to its destination. Elsa watched with interest as the arrow struck through the canvas of the target joining it with the other arrows lodged through the red ring. Elsa was impressed even if it was by the slightest, most miniscule of degree, but it was enough to let her know to look out for Number 13. She turned toward her last student.

"Go ahead and get your arrows."

Anna still didn't look at Elsa, but she absentmindedly nodded her head to show she heard her and then dashed off to retrieve her arrows. When she came back, she stopped ten feet away from Elsa to take a moment to put her arrows in her quiver.

Elsa, who gave off the presence of an army general about to send his troops into battle, strode towards Anna and stood ramrod stiff just a few feet away from her. She folded her arms behind her back. Anna was shocked how close her instructor was when she turned her head. Elsa took note of the drop of sweat that was rolling down Anna's cheek and to her chin.

"You need to work out more."

To Anna's unusually warm ears, Elsa's voice sounded dry, barren, and unsympathetic. To Elsa, it was calm and collective.

Anna caught her breath before shooting out an indignant response. "I work out plenty!"

Elsa stood her ground, naturally.

"Then you need to work on your push-ups because you barely made it through the first exercise. You have poor form and lack upper body strength. If you ever hope to pass my class, then you're going to have to work even harder than before."

Anna's cheeks were red from the heat and exhaustion but they grew redder after Elsa's comment. Yet before Anna could have a chance to utter a word, Elsa continued.

"Do fifty push-ups tonight before going to bed and fifty more before class tomorrow."

Anna huffed. She could only glare at her instructor.

Elsa relaxed her shoulders. "Do you understand?"

Anna blew out steam from her flared out nostrils but kept her mouth in a tight flat line. For the most part.

"Yes, Miss Arendelle. I understand."

Elsa scrutinized Anna for a moment. "And Number 13," Elsa held Anna's chin in her left hand and swiped at the drop of sweat that now about to fall from the tip of Anna's chin, "you may _think_ you have it hard, but some people have it harder than you."

Anna quickly pulled her chin away from Elsa's hand.

"Remember that, Number 13."

Elsa turned and walked away and Anna watched her leave. Anna sighed and began to head back toward the academy where she'd hope she have a good meal to temporarily forget her troubles at the dining center.

"She touched you!?"

Anna nearly choked on her piece of salmon in response to Kristoff's shocked reaction after her retelling of what happened between her and Elsa Arendelle once she finished the last exercise. Anna had to quickly drink some water to dislodge the piece of fish down her throat before looking over at her two new friends.

"You make it sound like she touched me in a violent or sexual way, Kristoff."

Sven nudged Kristoff in the shoulder. "Yeah, Kristoff."

Kristoff ignored Sven's teasing manner and focused his attention on Anna. "Sorry, Anna…It's just so shocking to hear something like this. I mean, she touched you!"

Anna was scooping up some mashed potatoes onto her fork. "Yeah… She touched my chin. So what's the big deal?" Anna shoveled the potatoes in her mouth.

"The big deal, Anna, is that Elsa Arendelle touched you."

Sven patted Kristoff on the shoulder. Kristoff turned toward his best friend.

"Kristoff, I think Anna isn't getting the context of why it's so important that Miss Arendelle touched her."

Kristoff looked confused at first, but then his face filled with understanding. "Oh…."

He turned and smiled back at Anna who was in the midst of eating more potatoes.

"You see, Anna, the reason why it's so important and considered to be earthshattering news that Elsa Arendelle touched you is that she has never been known to touch a student. Heck, she's not even known to even make any physical contact with most people except for fellow instructor, Olaf Vinter. Last year, Bulda told me that she occasionally has seen them hug without anyone else around and that even Elsa seems hesitant to make much physical contact with Mr. Vinter let alone even initiate contact herself. If Miss Arendelle touched you on her own accord, then you must be really special."

Anna snorted in disbelieve as she ate the last of her mashed potatoes. "Yeah. I'm really special. She told me I have poor form and lack of upper body to do proper push-ups and that I should do fifty push-ups before bed and before class starts tomorrow."

Kristoff and Sven looked at each other with a look Anna couldn't decipher. They turned back at the redhead who was on her way to eating her green beans.

Kristoff was the one to speak up. "That's very…interesting."

Anna stabbed a green bean before looking up at Kristoff with wonder. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell anybody this, but over the summer when I knew I got Elsa Arendelle as an instructor, I decided to some research about her…in Gran Pabbie's office. What I read about her was not enough to know how she was like as an instructor. All I learned is that it was true that she rarely touches people and that she had never been known to instruct a student after class in a beneficial way."

Anna placed the green bean that she stabbed earlier with her fork and put it in her mouth. She chewed for a while before swallowing and replying.

"Beneficial way? I doubt it."

"Maybe Miss Arendelle is as cuddly as a cactus right now, but she's giving you extra attention than the rest of us. She is paying more attention to you now because she gave you a suggestion on how to improve and when. If you add that to the fact that she touched your chin, I'd say she likes you."

Anna sucked a green bean through her mouth and nearly choked on it if it hadn't been for the fact that she started to chew on it and it slid down her throat. Her face turned beet red. "What!?"

"Hey. Don't take it the wrong way. I was only teasing you."

"But you have to admit that you are a special case, Anna," Sven pitched in.

Anna looked over at Sven. "I am?"

"Sure. You're the only student she has ever touched and has given extra attention to. Before we know it, you could change her into an actual, functional human being. She'll go soft on you as time passes and you'll be her favorite student."

Kristoff looked over at Sven and smirked. "You know what, Sven? I think Anna's gonna be the teacher's pet."

Sven snickered. "Ooh, yeah. She'll be Miss Arendelle's cute little pet in class. She'll go from loser to star pupil and Miss Arendelle will reward her."

"No. She'll _reward_ her. If you know what I mean." Kristoff had a lewd look on his face as he put emphasis on the word reward. Sven quickly caught on and they both looked at Anna with wolfish smiles.

"That's right, Anna. You'll be Arendelle's cute little pussy cat on a leash and you'll purr in her lap."

Anna never had been a romantic relationship where they did any heavy sexual activities, but she was not _that_ naïve and knew what Kristoff and Sven were insinuating. She flushed.

"Shut up!"

"Oh…We ruffled the little kitty's fur. I hope Miss Arendelle forgives us for ruining her precious little kitty's fur."

Anna abruptly stood up in a fit of frustration. "You guys are so…so…"

Kristoff held out a hand to make Anna wait. "Anna, wait. We were only joking. It'd be impossible for you to hook up with an instructor like Arendelle. We don't even know what her preference is if she had one. Come and sit down and finish your dinner."

"Yeah, Anna. We're sorry for pushing you too far."

Anna sighed. Kristoff and Sven were the only friends she had at the academy and she knew they were only joking and meant no harm. She decided to forgive them.

"Okay. I'll finish dinner with you guys."

"Great."

Anna sat down and finished eating her dinner. She listened to Kristoff and Sven talk about their first years at the academy and to their jokes, both good and bad. Soon enough, the three of them finished their dinners, cleared their spaces and said goodnight to each other before parting separate ways. Anna head to her room and began to do the push-ups Elsa told her to do.

TBC…


	5. Student-Teacher Dynamic

**A/N: First off, I'm sorry for the late update but I've been busy with school work and dealing with a bad back. I'll try to not make you guys wait too long, but if this happens again while I am in school juts know that I'll be busy with other things. And as a heads up, I finish the school year May 22. However, you guys might have to wait for the weekend of May 22-24 to pass as I will be spending time with some family members for an annual family trip (the trip will include extended family members unlike other future family trips I will make throughout the year), so it unknown if I'll have time to work on a chapter at that point or not.**

**Second of all, because of a certain event that occurred Wed. April 22, I feel that time is especially precious when letting know certain people that you care deeply about them. For this reason and for certain influences, I decided to dedicate this chapter to shikah1. I had originally thought of doing so back when I was still working on BTCOD for all her help and support, but if I did that then I felt it would be unfair to Sharkamire. Now, I can justify my reasoning to dedicate a chapter to shikah1 before Sharkamire and he knows already about my reasoning. Maybe one day I'll give him a chapter as well. Until then…this chapter is for shikah1.**

**Also…fslover, you may want to double-check a chapter before posting a review because if you paid attention to Elsa's lecture that mentioned 'fallen comrades', then you would know it is implied what kind of archers the students and instructors are. And as far as I know, that would count as part of the backstory of the Order. Furthermore, I did specify that not all archers who graduate from the academy will become part of the Order and I may not lay down many details about the Order in one chapter, but I have started to introduce the group in the third chapter. **

**I could have PMed you on this matter to be more discrete, but it occurred to me that this could benefit other reviewers to prevent themselves from making embarrassing posts. I'm not trying to mean, I'm trying to spare you guys the embarrassment because I've experienced a similar situation where I accidentally posted a review for the wrong chapter. However, fslover, if you are aware of this and still disagree with me, then that is okay. Just know that I have provided enough information about the Order, especially since it's only the beginning of the story and I have a tendency of stretching out information throughout a story. I don't intend to take too long to write more about the Order unless I have no other choice but to do so. However, the information will come in due time. That is all I can say for you and other readers who might be wondering about when I will disclose information about the Order. **

**As for the concern about Anna not standing the sight of blood if she can't help herself well…first off thank you for noticing such a minute detail that I would have forgotten easily if you hadn't brought attention to it again and I think that won't have to be an issue since no blood should be spilled at the academy…unless something happens in the future. It depends if any opportunity shall arise where some or a lot of blood will be involved. Most likely very little blood will be involved as far as I can tell, but things might change later on. If that does happen, I'll make note of Anna's dislike for blood accordingly.**

**Now…onto the chapter!**

* * *

Sweat dripped from Anna's chin. She counted out the numbers as she did push-ups at her spot.

"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…"

As Anna counted, she thought back to last night's events after dinner with Kristoff and Sven.

When she got to her room and shed her cloak and archery equipment, she started on her push-ups. At first, she wasn't too happy about the exercise. In fact, she detested that Miss Arendelle said that she had poor form and suggested that she worked on her push-ups, but after while Anna calmed down and no longer felt disdain for Miss Arendelle anymore.

She realized that Elsa was right even if her wording was a little harsh. Anna could have worked harder on her push-ups during the summer, but she didn't. She was more focused on long distance and accuracy shooting exercises. In hindsight, maybe Anna should have worked a little more on other exercises, especially on push-ups, but she figured she could work on them later. Well, "now" was "later" and she had to deal with it.

Once she was done with her push-ups, Anna took a bath. Afterwards, she started on her first draft of her letter to her parents. After she wrote the third and final draft of her letter, Anna had set it aside to mail later and plopped down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling of her room until she fell asleep.

That morning greeted her with a sliver of sunshine peeking through her window and new perspective on her instructor. Anna went through the motions of a slow morning-breakfast, sending out her letter and reading a book until lunchtime.

Anna had a quick lunch without Kristoff and Sven and found herself in her current position- doing her second set of fifty push-ups before class would start.

She continued to count.

"Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven…!"

Anna huffed and blew her fiery fringe out of her eyes. She then continued her counting.

Coming from behind her was Elsa. She walked with slow, purposeful steps and, as she did so, she watched Anna do her push-ups. Elsa inwardly sighed to herself with a sense of relief that Anna took her suggestion to heart. Maybe she had hope for the redhead after all, but she would make sure she wouldn't get her hopes up too high so soon nor would she allow the redheaded girl to get close to her as Olaf was. No student of hers was ever going to be allowed to get too close to her. But like it mattered. Practically every student of hers didn't care much for her. They respected and obeyed her like how the other instructors respected her and left her in peace (for the most part).

When Elsa got close enough, she stopped at Number 13's side and listened to her counting and breathing.

"Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three…"

Elsa tuned out the redhead's voice and looked at her push-up form. It was good….but it could be better. The platinum blonde looked back at her student's concentrated and pained expression. She could tell that Anna still struggled to breathe normally, but it was a slight improvement from yesterday. She looked down at Anna's elbows and saw that the right arm was bent a little too much compared to the left. Her gaze travelled back to Anna's feet and noticed that the left was as tight as the right one.

Elsa took in a steady breath. She could let her student suffer and ultimately fail her class, which she felt would be the easier option to pick, or…she should give subtle pieces of advice to the poor girl. Elsa made her decision to take the high road for once even though she was hesitant to do so in the first place. Since she was wearing long sleeves under her blue tunic today, there was no reason for her to fold her arms behind her back or keep them tightly at her sides. Rather, she folded her arms against her chest.

"Stop, Number 13."

Anna stopped immediately partly with fear and partly with agitation. Why did Miss Arendelle have to be standing near (or above) her? Why did she tell her to stop? Anna was about to look up at Elsa when she was abruptly told not to.

"Don't look up at me. I wouldn't want you to lose your focus, Number 13."

"What is it, Miss Arendelle?"

"What count did you finish?"

Anna took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I just finished count number thirty-eight."

Elsa gestured toward her posture with the nod of her head. "You need to fix a couple of errors before going on."

Anna sighed in frustration. "What now?"

"You're right elbow is too bent and your left leg is not as tight as your right one. Fix those mistakes before continuing your count, Number 13."

Anna had a bemused look on her sweat-glazed face before realization struck her. She first fixed her bent arm looking at it carefully, and then she straightened out her leg. Elsa inspected her posture and then nodded with the smallest hint of approval.

"Continue."

Anna did so and was grateful she remembered what push-up she was doing next. "Thirty-nine."

As Anna counted up to fifty, she watched Miss Arendelle walk away from her and toward her spot at the front of the class. The young woman still had her golden-white locks in an immaculate French bun, but she seemed less tense compared to yesterday. She still held that aura of a military leader who had earned prestigious and honorable awards that he so richly deserved for the bravery, leadership, and strength he exhibited in great times of need. Yet her shoulders seemed more….relaxed. Anna noticed this and that her instructor was wearing long sleeves under her tunic even though it was the end of August. Most people didn't add long sleeves to their usual attire until between the time of late September and early October at the earliest. Then again, it wasn't her place to decide how someone should dress themselves, especially if that someone was her instructor and by far the toughest one at an archery academy that produced plenty of archers to protect and serve their countrymen.

Dismissing the thought with a simple shake of the head, Anna continued counting her push-ups in peace until she reached fifty. When she was done, she carefully stood up and about to put her cloak and archery equipment back on but Elsa stopped her.

"Don't do that."

Anna looked over at her inscrutable instructor. "Why not?"

"It'd waste precious time. I'll tell your classmates to take their gear off if they brought any. Today, we will be doing strength training. I'll make a note to Gran Pabbie to have some sort of storage unit for you guys to store your cloaks and archery equipment so you have them nearby and ready for you but without requiring you guys to drag your things with you from your rooms every time we meet for class."

Anna maintained eye contact with Elsa as she put his things down next to her. While she did this, Elsa brought her crossed arms closer to her chest. When Anna caught onto the action, she couldn't help but notice how her attention was drawn to her instructor's chest region…and arms. Anna's teal eyes widened once she caught on of she just did and looked away with shame flooding in her cheeks in the form of blood ultimately warming and reddening her naturally rosy cheeks.

Too preoccupied of disbelieving that she stared at Miss Arendelle's chest (and arms, Anna would defend to herself), Anna didn't notice Kristoff coming to her side or Sven for that matter until Kristoff tapped her on the shoulder. She whipped her head in near fright towards Kristoff so fast that she actually started him a bit.

"Kristoff!" Anna took a moment to calm down and then saw Sven at his side. "And Sven!"

"Hi, Anna."

Anna turned her head back to Kristoff who seemed have recovered from her frantic reaction.

"I didn't know you guys were there. How long have you been standing here?"

Kristoff lightly chuckled. "Don't worry, Anna, we just got here." He briefly gestured toward Elsa with his eyes and the tilt of her head. "Has she been here for very long?"

"She got here a while ago. She watched me do push-ups for a little bit and made me stop briefly so I could fix my posture."

Kristoff leaned in a little with interest. "Did she touch you again?"

"No." Anna paused for a moment before adding, "Why do you ask?"

Kristoff innocently shrugged his shoulders. "I was just wondering."

Anna raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. She whispered in a passive-aggressive voice, "You're not thinking of teasing me about hooking up with Miss Arendelle again, are you?"

Kristoff simply smiled. "No, Anna. I'm not going to tease you about that again." The blonde man turned to his best friend. "Right, Sven?"

Sven gave nothing away with stone-faced expression. Except Anna could see he was biting his lower lip a little bit harder than he should have. Kristoff turned back to the redhead.

"See, Anna? I'm not going to tease you about that anymore."

Upon hearing words that seemed wholly sincere, Anna relaxed her shoulders, dropped her eyebrow and pulled back into a proper standing position in her spot. "Okay."

Kristoff's smile grew bigger though. "But I will ask you this: did you enjoy staring at Miss Arendelle's chest? Did you get a good view of it?"

Anna instantly turned redder than a rose. "That was an accident!"

The instant the outburst left her lips, Anna quickly covered her mouth. Both Sven and Kristoff seemed half-surprised, half-amused by Anna's little outburst. Not only that, but it warranted unnecessary attention from Elsa herself as she snapped her head toward the trio's direction so fast that they were afraid is would fall right off. The moment her icy blue eyes fell upon them, they shrank in on themselves.

"What's going on over there, Numbers 4, 12, and 13? Hm!?"

Kristoff and Sven mumbled incoherencies as they quietly and awkwardly shuffled to their spots. Anna, on the other hand, slid her hands up from her mouth to her eyes and buried her face in her palms trying to wipe off the egg on her face. Elsa watched her for her little longer before she had to look at front and center of the class as more of her students came to their numbers after lunch.

Once everyone was in their spots, Elsa cleared her throat and ordered her students to take off their cloaks and gear once more before she got to the actual instructions of the day.

"Okay, class. Today, we will be focusing on strength training and mind you, this won't be a particularly easy day, but it will be in comparison in the near future where we will build upon our training for each aspect we will focus on earlier on in the school year."

Elsa paused and discretely glanced over at Anna. She appeared to have recovered her extreme embarrassment after her outburst before class and was standing with a straighter back than before. She returned her full attention to her class and continued on.

"Before we start today, I will like to make an announcement to you guys. Possibly after today I will talk with Gran Pabbie to arrange for you guys to have a place to store your cloaks and gear somewhere nearby our class location so you may retrieve your gears within a reasonable amount of time during class and you don't have to drag them with you every day from your rooms since it won't be known when we will work with the arrows on any given day. Is this understood, class?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa nodded. "Good. Now…First, drop down and get into plank positions."

The class collectively groaned.

No aggression or frustration was behind Elsa's voice, only authority. "Stop your belly aching and do it now."

Everyone dropped to the ground and got into position. Once Elsa was sure everyone was ready, she told them to hold for a minute.

After the first exercise, Elsa made her students do one exercise right after the other- crunches both from the ground and upside down from tree branches, pull-ups both right-side up and upside down on the tree branches, and, finally, push-ups. All the exercises proceeding the planks had fifty reps each.

When class was dismissed, the students pitifully gathered their things and dragged their feet back to the academy. Since they were done with class earlier than yesterday, the students would likely rest a little in the common room.

Yet, like the day before, Anna remained behind with Elsa. She had just scooped up her things when she noticed that Elsa was standing in front of her. She jumped back by a foot and gulped.

"Miss Arendelle… What brings you here?"

"You have improved."

Anna's face brightened up a little. "Really?"

"Don't get too excited, Number 13. It was an observation and a small one at that. You may have improved, but it's by a small margin."

Anna's smile immediately fell. "Oh."

Elsa pretended not to hear the dejection in her student's voice and continued on.

"Now tell me, Number 13, are you friends with Numbers 4 and 12?"

Anna looked into Elsa's icy blue eyes and noticed that they weren't as "icy" as one thought. Beneath a thinly veiled layer of indifference, Anna saw in her eyes a certain kind of warmth that was the only sign that Elsa was human on an emotional level.

"Yes."

"Well, if you three don't mind, I'd like for you guys to keep your voices at an indoor level while in my presence, especially before class starts. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Good. You may go now."

Anna gulped again. "Yes, Miss Arendelle. Thank you."

Anna turned around and began to walk away, but she didn't get very far. A thought occurred to her and, knowing it might a risky thing to do, Anna couldn't help but entertain the thought. She turned back toward Elsa.

"Miss Arendelle, may I ask you a question? Or two?"

"What is it, Number 13?"

"Why do you call us by our numbers? And when will you call us by our names?"

"I want to teach you guys that you should not take certain for granted like your names. I'm also teaching you guys humility. When you don't expect or demand to be called by the name you were given as your birthright, then you will appreciate your name more and thus your identity. You will take pride in who you are as a person when you have earned the right to be identified as an individual. But for now, I want the class to see each other as a whole entity; a group that identifies with each other and will not mind not being called by their given or even surnames. I will refer to each and every one of you by your surnames first and when you have proven yourself further to me, then I will call you by your given name. Besides, I'm establishing a sense of equality among the class."

"If that's true, then why did you call Hans by his surname? Do you favor him or something?"

Elsa had grit her teeth, but refrained from lashing out on Anna since she knew she didn't mean to irritate her and remained calm for her benefit.

"I have heard unpleasant things about Mr. Westergard from his previous instructor. For that reason and that he stands in number one's square, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of calling him 'Number 1' because he never will be number one to me. That's why. Besides, I do not favor _any _student, Number 13."

Anna stared at Elsa for a while before summoning some courage. "Okay. Then what will it take to earn my right to be called by surname or given name?"

"When you have proven yourself to me."

"How will I do that?"

"Figure that part on your own. Now, leave."

Anna slowly backed away for a few steps before turning around once more and walked away from Elsa.

At dinner, Anna pushed her diced carrots around her nearly empty plate. Kristoff and Sven were animatedly talking everything about reindeers-their fur, their smell, their strength, their loyalty. She hardly heard a single word they said and was focused on what Miss Arendelle had told her after class before heading back to the academy.

Thinking back on Miss Arendelle's words and actions-especially alone in Anna's presence-that she might be a strict instructor but that didn't mean she was heartless. Even though she didn't make seem clear to any of the students so far, Anna could only guess she had good intentions and actually did care about her students' well-being. Yet it didn't help that Miss Arendelle had such a tense and proper posture. She may very well be trying to set a good example for her students to know good posture and manners, but she seemed too tense in the shoulders. Anna could swear that Miss Arendelle could loosen up just a little bit. Getting lost in her thoughts and having her eyes rove around the pushed-around carrots, Anna nearly missed that Kristoff was talking to her. She looked up with a half-dazed expression on her face.

"Huh?"

"Anna, are you gonna eat your carrots or can I have them?"

Anna absentmindedly pushed her plate toward Kristoff. "Here, you can have them. I'm not hungry anymore."

Before stabbing two carrots on his fork, Kristoff looked over Anna with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Anna," he put a mouthful of carrots past his lips, quickly chewed and swallowed. "Are you okay?"

"Oh…Yeah. I was just thinking about something Miss Arendelle told me after class today."

Both Kristoff and Sven looked on at Anna with interest. "What did she say?"

"I asked her some stuff about why she called us by our number instead of our names but why she also calls Hans by his surname only. She told me something about the class building a sense of equality among ourselves and to earn our right to be called by our given names over time. Something about being modest and not taking certain things for granted. As far as Hans' name goes, she doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of calling him 'Number 1'."

"Oh? Why?"

"In her own way of saying it…she thinks he's an ass. She was very vague about it, but I interpreted the information that she thinks he's arrogant and doesn't need the ego boost of being called 'Number 1'."

"So…Miss Arendelle doesn't like Hans and that's why she has called him by his last name today? Not because she likes or favors him?"

"No, she doesn't like him at all. At least that's how I see it. She told me that she doesn't have any favorite students, though."

Kristoff leaned over with a suspicious look on his face. "Oh, really?"

Anna looked at him weird. "What does that mean?"

"Come on, Anna. Do you honestly believe that she has no favorite students?"

"She doesn't."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"She obviously gives you more attention than the rest of us. Don't you think that should count for something?"

"I don't know. Should it?"

Kristoff pulled back, aligning his shoulders perpendicular to Sven's.

"I think it should. Out of all of us, you're the student of hers that she cares to talk to. When she stares at the class, her stare softens when her eyes briefly rove over you and intensifies with the students who complain to her the most."

"I hadn't noticed that. Are you sure you just not seeing things, Kristoff? It's only been two days."

"And yet Miss Arendelle has given you different treatment even though she has been known to treat all of her previous students equally. At least that's what I heard from Elder Bulda. You must be something special to be treated differently by Miss Arendelle, Anna."

"Um…I don't think so."

"I'm telling you, Anna, Miss Arendelle treats you differently from the rest of us…in a good way."

Anna chuckled a little bit. "Yeah right, Kristoff. I highly doubt Miss Arendelle is giving me special treatment. All she did was _suggest_ that I do a hundred push-ups."

"But she talked to you again after class. Don't you think that's weird?"

"Uh…Kristoff? It's normal for a student to ask their instructor some stuff before, during, and after class."

"Not unless your instructor is Miss Arendelle."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday before going to bed, I ran into Elder Bulda and asked her about Miss Arendelle and her presence at the academy. Apparently, the reason so few people see her outside of class time is because she almost immediately leaves the grounds after class not sticking round to answer any questions students might have and that she hardly spends time inside the academy. I asked why and Elder Bulda didn't specify. She said that people don't need to know Miss Arendelle's whereabouts outside of class time. Anyway… if what I've previously said is true, then theoretically Miss Arendelle wouldn't be talking to you after class."

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she's changed her mind."

Kristoff and Sven both looked at each other with skepticism in their eyes. But once they returned their attention back to Anna, they decided to leave it alone. Kristoff sighed.

"I guess it's possible that Miss Arendelle has decided to change one thing about her teaching method. I mean, if she's been teaching for a few years or so, she would be bound to make a few changes here and there to survive as an instructor…Or maybe this is the first year she's made any exception and you just happen to be first student that she's taken in account for and decided to make a change."

"Okay. Well…I'm going to bed."

Sven looked up at Anna from his mostly finished dinner. "You're not going to join me and Kristoff in the common room for some games?"

"No…" Anna sighed. "After doing a hundred push-ups before class and then doing the exercises Miss Arendelle had in store for us today, I don't think I have the energy to play games. Maybe some other time, Sven."

Kristoff pointed his carrot covered fork at Anna. "Maybe one of these days we should unwind at the town's pub."

"If we have the time and energy to do so."

"Oh! Don't sound so defeated, Anna! You're bound to get used to Miss Arendelle's exercises and we do have Saturdays and Sundays to ourselves."

Anna shoved her hands into her pants pockets. "That's if Miss Arendelle lets us have those two days off."

"Come on, Anna. We know Miss Arendelle is strict, but I don't think she's inhuman."

Anna softly groused to herself. "I know that! I didn't mean to imply that she was! It's just that I don't want us to get our hopes up too high just in case she gives us reason why we need to exercise every day."

"Damn. So defensive…"

"I'm not being defensive…." Anna's face flushed for a moment before returning to its normal color. "I'm going to bed."

"But Anna-!"

Anna stood up from the table. "I'd really appreciate it, Kristoff, if you took care of my dishes seeing as you're eating off my plate. I'll return the flavor someday by taking your dishes for you."

"Anna…"

Anna gave Kristoff and Sven a weak smile. "Goodnight, guys."

Both young men mumbled a "goodnight" to their red-headed friend before they watched her walk out of the dining center with concern and confusion in their eyes.

TBC…


	6. Weighing Possibilities

**A/N: Sorry for the late update you guys. School held me up longer than I expected and I had hellish end for what was supposed to be a nice annual family weekend trip but ended with a fight. Things have been pretty emotionally draining and stressful up until now. My intermediate family and I have only started to recover and this is why I have had the time and energy to write a chapter. But I've been wanting to get back to updating the story. I hope you guys can get back to the groove of the story and like this chapter.**

**Just for some clarification, the town of Elderwood is in Eagle Valley which includes the Northern Mountain. It was hard enough thinking of a name since I couldn't give you guys just "the five year war." But I will elaborate more on it later. Please, just be patient. Thank you.**

* * *

Anna sighed as she closed the door to her bedroom. She shucked off her cloak and archery equipment before she flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She felt bad for leaving Kristoff and Sven like that at dinner, but she still had something or, rather, someone on her mind. To her, Miss Arendelle was still a mystery. But what was really curious was how she stared at her instructor's chest. Anna didn't mean to stare, it just happened. And even though she wasn't trying to pay much attention to them or could see very well (since Elsa's arms were in the way), Anna was fairly certain she was bigger than her. And that made her a bit jealous. Even a little self-conscious.

A blush made its way to Anna's face as the thought of her instructor having bigger and probably even rounder breasts than she had. Anna looked down at her chest and thought they were of modest size and roundness, but when she thought back at how Elsa's chest was well supported and accentuated by her crossed arms, Anna couldn't help but feel the pleasant tingling sensation coursing in her brain the more she thought about those soft mounds of flesh concealed by pieces of clothing and crossed arms.

All at once, Anna didn't seem to care how she began to blatantly fantasize about more than just Elsa Arendelle's breasts since Anna could at least recognize that her instructor was a beautiful woman with a good figure and physique. But when she did realize she was fantasizing about Elsa, Anna had to stop herself because she was certain she shouldn't be interested in women in that way. But it didn't bother her so much when she realized that it wouldn't be proper for a student to romantically pursue their academy instructor.

But then Anna thought for a moment. Did she really care about that? What if they magically found it okay to not just interact with each other on a more casual level but also be two females romantically involved with each other? Anna sighed. Even if she was okay with liking females in that way and that she just so happened to like Miss Arendelle in particular, she wasn't sure Elsa would feel the same way. Even if she fancied women, Anna had no idea if she would be Elsa's type or if she would approve of her smaller chest. She'd probably want a woman who had a plump yet firm chest and was about the same size as her own so it acted as a nice cushion for her own chest as they would kiss each other.

Just the thought of her instructor kissing another woman made Anna's blush turn two shades darker. The first shade was from embarrassment, the second for unexpected jealousy. But then Anna's blush faded as shame washed over her conscious like a wave rolling into the shoreline. Why would she care about what her instructor did? She has no right to be mad at the prospect of Elsa being intimate with another woman or even being intimate with someone her own age. But most of all, Anna didn't understand why she was suddenly so interested in her instructor when she knew next to nothing about her.

Anna slapped her hands against her face to cover it up and shook her head. "What's wrong with me?"

Then, after a good few moments, Anna pulled her hands away and frowned at the ceiling. "Why do I care about what Miss Arendelle does? Or why I'm interested in her chest? There's nothing special about her chest…" Anna chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I need to think of something that would be worth my while…Like thinking of what to do with Kristoff and Sven for when we have free time to make it up to them. I haven't given myself the time to have some fun."

Soon Anna filled her mind with fun ideas and briefly forgot her worries. "I don't have to care anything more about what Miss Arendelle says and does than what she says and does in class. I should be able to enjoy any free time I have while I'm here at the academy! I'll do my best in class, but I'll give myself free time to do what I want without worrying about Miss Arendelle. She can't control my life after all."

Then, Anna went silent. She tapped her chin with an index finger and stared at the ceiling again. Her frown returned.

"It's not that I don't care about Miss Arendelle and her well-being, but I should be able to think of other things other than her and enjoy my life. But she'd still be a mystery to me if I don't try to get to know her. I should try to get to know her and still have time for myself and with Kristoff and Sven…" Anna silently nodded to herself and her frown twitched upward. "That's what I'll do. I'll balance out everything that I have and want to do."

Feeling satisfied with herself, Anna nodded to the ceiling and to herself. She kicked off her boots, pulled up the covers over her body, and turned on her right shoulder.

She murmured to herself before going to sleep, "I wonder if she would be okay with a chest like mine or even the kind of personality that I have?"

With that floating in her head, Anna closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Elsa sipped her tea and set the cup down. Just then, a knock could be heard at the door. Elsa sat in her chair waiting for the rest of the knock.

_Knock-knock, knock-knock, knock._

Elsa got up and opened the door. She soon was in her accustomed stance as the pale and short man with matching hair came in with his usual buck tooth smile. Elsa seemed to have closed the door at a snail's pace compared to her companion's as he made himself at home with a cup of tea and honey in hand and then settled in the chair across from hers. She turned to the familiar sight before walking back to her spot and sitting down.

"Hello, Olaf."

Chortle. "Hi, Elsa."

Elsa sipped her tea. "How's your class?"

Olaf spooned some honey in his tea. "They're good. How about your class?"

Elsa gave Olaf a thin-lipped 'fine.'

"Hmm…"

Olaf took a quick sip before setting his cup down.

"Do you have any students that stand out to you?"

Elsa was quiet for a moment. She thought back to her students and the only one she could think of that stood out, the only student who left an impression of her was Number Thirteen: Anna Andersen. She looked over at her one true friend.

"There's this redheaded girl—"

"Ooh! A girl! Is she feisty?"

"Sort of. But it's hard to tell right now."

"Do you like her?"

"I don't know. She's a student."

Olaf sipped his tea. "You should get to know her. I mean, you definitely should get to know most or all of your students, but you need to start somewhere. Start with the girl! Do you know her name?"

"I believe her name is Anna Andersen, but I only call her by her number so she may think I don't know her name."

"How do you know her name? Did she say?"

"No. I just have a roster of names and I saw the name Andersen. When I saw her face, without knowing her name was Anna, I saw part of her father inside of her. That's how I know who she is." Elsa took a sip of her tea and then quickly added, "I also may have overheard her blonde friend call her by her name. But that just confirmed my belief from before."

"How do you know her father?"

Elsa swallowed and then licked her lips.

"Mr. Andersen knew my parents."

Olaf's face fell. "Oh…Did he know you?"

Elsa quietly and methodically took a sip of tea. "Not really. But as you could imagine, I wasn't a very social person and we met when I was much younger. This means he doesn't know what I'm an instructor for the academy. He knew my parents more, though." Elsa had put her cup down. "Once I recognized that Anna was Mr. Andersen's daughter, I decided to give her a little more respect than I'd give to any other decent human being because I feel I owe something to her father. If it wasn't for him, my parents wouldn't have survived the five-year Eagle Valley War. For this, I will respect Anna as a person a little more than most other people. And if she proves herself to me in class, then she'll earn more of my respect."

"That's good…Do you visit your parents often?"

"I saw them before the school year started."

"Will you see them soon again?"

"No. I'll be busy focusing on my class. Besides, my parents aren't going away. They can't."

"How was the last visit? How did you feel?"

Elsa pursed her lips as she lifted her tea cup and then took a sip.

"I felt fine."

"Are you sure, Elsa?"

A beat passed. "No. Could we talk about something else, please?"

"How about we talk about Anna?"

"What about her?"

"Is she good-looking? How much does she look like her father?"

"I think she looks a bit like her father."

"Is she cute?"

"Olaf!"

"What?"

"She's my student, not some secret love interest!"

"But you're only three years older than her, correct? Is she eighteen?"

"Yes, but she's my student!"

"So? Is she cute?"

Elsa snorted. "If you like child-like features like twin braids and cute little freckles that dance across the nose and cheeks, then I guess so."

"So, you like her?"

Elsa crossed her arms. "No. I just happened to notice that she has braids and freckles and modest breasts…that have a nice swell to them. I don't know much about her personality though."

Olaf leaned over the table with an impish smile. "She has modest breasts? With a nice swell? Is she your size?"

"I don't know. I might be two centimeters bigger than her. It's not like I stared at them…" Elsa swallowed. "But I think she stared at mine today in class."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"She looked like she was. But I think she did it on accident."

"I don't think it was on accident. You have a beautiful body, Elsa."

"Thanks, Olaf, but I'm sure it was accidental because I overheard her say so to her friends."

"Just like how you overheard one of her friends called her by her name?"

"Yes."

"Did you eavesdrop on them?"

"No. You know I have excellent hearing. Besides, they weren't very far from me in distance."

"How far?"

"I don't know. She was at her number spot…so the three of them must have been a couple of yards away from me."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What do you mean by that, Olaf?"

"Are you sure you weren't just eavesdropping on them and that you actually were closer to them in distance than you claimed?"

"I'm sure, Olaf. I don't stalk people like how you stalk me."

"I didn't stalk you when we become friends. I just happened to run into you a lot."

"You stalked me until I finally confronted you."

"Maybe I stalked you a little bit, but only because I was curious and I cared about you but I didn't know any other way to approach you. You were so…so unknown, Elsa."

"I was quiet."

"And a bit anti-social. But I got you to talk to me and that was good enough for me."

"I know. You wouldn't leave me alone."

"But I'm glad I pursued you, Elsa, because you're a really good person and friend. You don't give yourself enough credit or opportunity to show the sides of your personality that only I get to see on occasion. I really like those parts of you and I wish you would show them more often. Maybe you'd have more friends if you liberated yourself."

"I don't want more friends. I don't do well with big crowds or groups. Managing a class of twenty five students is enough for me."

"Well, if you really don't need too many friends, what about allies or even a lover? Wouldn't you like to restore your reputation among the other instructors so you feel more welcomed at the academy outside of class time? And what about a lover? You've only had that one woman."

"We were very drunk that one night and the next day she apologized to me for experimenting with and using me to cheat on her husband without actually "cheating" on him. She felt that if she did it with another woman, it didn't really count but helped let certain feelings out."

"But it does count."

"I know, Olaf."

"And you really haven't talked about that night or that woman to me very much."

"I know."

"Why?"

"Olaf…Please. Let it go."

"Okay…But please do me a favor."

"What is it?"

Olaf took a sip of his tea and then licked his lips.

"Promise me that regardless of the sex of your potential lover and regardless what kind of situation you two may end up in that you won't give up on the relationship and that person if the feeling is sincere and mutual. Promise me that if you do end up with a student at the academy that you won't shun their love for you, but you'll also stay safe and be smart about your situation. Okay?"

"Okay, Olaf."

"Great. Now, I have to get back to my room. I'll see you around, Elsa."

"See you around, Olaf."

Olaf got up from his seat, walked over to Elsa, and bent down to give her a hug. He made sure to give a nice and quick squeeze before heading out the door. Once he was gone, Elsa took care of the dishes and put away the honey.

After getting ready to go to sleep, Elsa laid down in bed and replayed the conversation she had with Olaf. Then she thought about Anna and Olaf's advice and getting to know her. She wasn't sure she could get to know many of her students, but she could try to get to know one and she thought she should start with Anna since she seems to give her more attention than other students. She also reasoned that it couldn't hurt to get to know Mr. Andersen's daughter out of simple respect for him for saving her parents' lives during the war two years before she was born. Afterwards, Elsa drifted off to sleep thinking of new methods to become more approachable as a teacher and as a person.

TBC…


	7. Two Aiming Arrows, One Bullseye

**A/N: Hey. For those who don't know, the word droughts found in this chapter is pronounced "drafts" and it's essentially the game of checkers. I know I don't intend to make this a historical fiction piece, but I do want to make it clear that the archery universe is based in the year 1844. Now, I know that "Frozen" was set in 1839 and "Frozen Fever" was set in 1840, but 1844 is the year **_**The Snow Queen**_** was first published and it gives me a little more leniency with some the inventions, tools, and concepts that existed during that time as opposed to 1840. So, keep that in mind. But I might cheat a little, especially with word choice and dialogue. (You'd be surprise what "modern" words had existed for a good while but meant slightly differently things before their modern meanings came into effect.) Also, I bet you guys will find this chapter interesting. :3**

* * *

The next day before class Anna arrived at her spot as usual and didn't let herself be bothered by the presence of her instructor. Elsa thought Anna's behavior to be a little odd at first, but then she realized that her student finally broke out of her awkward stage after getting used to school and decided not to focus on something that's irrelevant to her at the moment. Namely, she didn't have to worry about class exercises when class had started yet. Because of this reasoning, Elsa didn't mind the silence that developed between them until it was gradually replaced with the arrival of students and in which two of whom were Anna's friends.

Once the shabby-haired blonde and brunette boys came into the scene, Elsa simply observed them. The blonde was named Kristoff and the brunette was named Sven. Elsa recalled that Elder Bulda had Kristoff and Kai had Sven the previous year. But what she really noticed was how lively Anna was being. It wasn't what she expected, but then she rationalized that Anna possibly was nervous about starting school and busy working on her assigned push-ups before she got the chance to be herself.

From what Elsa saw she liked it. Before she could get distracted, Elsa looked at her watch and figured it was about time to start class. She had put her watch away and looked up to see if any students were straggling behind. Luckily, it appeared everyone was present but not all of them were in their spots. She amended that quickly with a clearing of her throat. Seeing that her students still brought their equipment without yet having the convenience of their storage units Elsa felt glad. They would need their equipment for the day.

Elsa started class with simple stretches and exercises. Then she had the class run a mile before setting then off to do target practice. But instead of going to the same location with stationary target boards, Elsa had her class travel to a nearby land-locked lake where she would have them practice shooting at moving target such as the fish in the water. She explained to them that it would double as practice for bowfishing and that this will not be the only time they will practice for bowfishing. This would just the precursor of future exercises. However, Elsa made it clear to her students that they _shall not_ strike a fish _under any circumstances_, but to aim their arrows near the fish as the exercise is _only_ for practice. If they disobeyed her, she would promptly discipline them.

Most students obeyed Elsa's command, yet Hans and his friends, Numbers Two and Six, were threatening to kill the fish by cornering and terrorizing them, causing Elsa to get a headache and to discipline them. Once she swiftly pinned them to trees near the shore with her arrows to teach them a lesson, Hans and his friends didn't dare to stir up trouble for the remainder of class. Despite this, one student was having trouble even getting her arrows close enough to the fishes she was aiming for.

Elsa saw Anna struggle aiming for the fish. She saw how the redhead blew her bangs out of her eyes, how she huffed in frustration, how her cheeks grew red with each failed attempt passing her by. Not only did Elsa plainly see Anna's struggles but also could feel them radiate towards her. But Elsa could sense that Anna could do better if only she had some guidance and a confidence boost.

Elsa looked around to the rest of her students. They all looked fine, almost mechanical in their shots. Elsa recalled the words of her former instructor that those who were not keeping up with the rest of the class were considered weak and those who were weak should be weeded out as soon as possible by means of overworking and insulting them until they leave. And truth be told, Elsa had mixed feelings about that kind of philosophy then in class, but just by looking at Anna told her otherwise. She knew Anna wasn't weak; she just needed to build some confidence in herself. She could tell because she saw part of herself in Anna. She may have been the best and most talented student at the academy, but she struggled (among many other things) with building enough self-respect and self-confidence to be happy with her life. No one knew this about her because she hid from them so they didn't have to see how much she was hurting or how much she cried from daily obstacles she encountered as an otherwise top-notch archery student. No one ever knew until she met Olaf. But that was beside the point. She could tell Anna struggled with something and Elsa actually felt bad for her. But she knew she couldn't seem too sympathetic or favorable toward one particular student, so she did what she thought was a diplomatic course of action.

She went around the class, avoiding Anna altogether, and asked if each student got their arrows near ten fish. Once a student confirmed this, Elsa dismissed them for the rest of class. Little by little the number of students dwindled until she was left alone with Anna. As she approached the redhead, Elsa watched her progress. She noticed that Anna was patient and aiming for fishes, but lacked an efficient method to execute the exercise. Just before Anna could shoot a new round of now-wet arrows, Elsa placed a hand on her shoulder. Anna was startled at first and stood still and then she turned to face Elsa.

"Miss Arendelle?"

"Number 13, you're lagging behind. Everyone else is done for the day and has returned to the academy."

Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She felt like her heart was about to sink from sheer disappointment, but then Elsa's voice distracted her from spiraling into self-pity.

"But don't despair, Number 13. This time alone with you will give me leniency as your instructor to tutor you into finishing your exercise. Also, keep in mind that I didn't originally have a fixed number of fishes the class to aim for, but once I allotted the number ten to the exercise the class finished sooner than I thought. Now, it's not too late for you to finish the exercise and have plenty of time to relax before dinner at the academy, but you have to cooperate with me. Okay?"

"Okay…What did you have in mind?"

Elsa smiled on the inside. "You need a method. You need to look for the fishes' swimming pattern so you can predict where they'll be next and shoot accordingly. Now, observe…"

Elsa skillfully pulled out an arrow from her quiver from behind her back and aligned it with the bow. She spotted a fish, followed its swimming pattern with her eyes and made her shot. Her arrows struck a few inches away from the fish's right side—right where she wanted it to be. After a mild shock, the fish swam away. Elsa continued demonstrating perfect practice shots in front of Anna until she ran out of her arrows. Then she retrieved her arrows were they stood in the water before coming back to Anna.

As she had put her arrows in her quiver, she said "See how I followed the fishes' swimming patterns with my eyes?"

Anna deftly nodded.

Once Elsa had put away her last arrow, she continued giving advice to Anna. "You need to do the same thing and then once you're able to predict where a fish will go next that is when you should shoot. Try it."

Anna got ready and kept Elsa's words of advice in her mind as she waited to spot a fish. In the meantime, Elsa watched Anna shoot from a distance.

She noticed how Anna had significantly improved her stance once she gave her some advice. Yet Elsa knew something was still off with Anna's shots. Elsa squinted her eyes and noticed a slight tremble in Anna's arms. Maybe if she did something a little extra to help her then maybe Anna could finally have enough confidence to finish the exercise.

Elsa looked over at the horizon overlooking the lake. It was still early in the day, but if Anna didn't pick up the pace they could be at the lake past dinner time. The quiet instructor decided to be proactive and give her student a little more guidance. She strode over and stopped Anna's movements.

Just as Elsa was about to lift her arms, she hesitated. She gulped and stood stiff. Anna looked over at her with confusion and a little bit of worry. "Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa gulped again. She had to do this. She could do this. After all, it was perfectly legal and socially acceptable for a teacher to physically guide a student of theirs, who is a legal adult, to help them learn a movement of a particular exercise. She _would_ do it.

At last, Elsa brought her arms around Anna's body in one fluid motion and gripped her wrists. This brought on a deeply confused and slightly flustered look to her student's face. Yet she ignored it. Rather she got Anna back into position and pressed her front into the redhead's back. She told Anna to find a fish and follow it with her eyes. Then she told her to steady her arms and helped her pull back the arrow, guiding her arm in a straight and strong line. At that moment Elsa gently backed away and told Anna to shoot.

Within seconds the arrow landed on its intended target near the fish. Anna was astonished and Elsa, however silent her reaction was, felt pleased with herself. A second later a smile broke out on Anna's face and grew wider when she heard the words she hoped to hear, "Good job, Number 13. You finally did it."

Anna didn't care how goofy her smile looked to anyone at that moment. She did a half-turn to face Elsa.

"Thank you, Miss Arendelle, for your help."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Don't mention it. Now, do nine more fish and then you may be dismissed for the day."

"Yes, Miss Arendelle!"

Anna turned back toward the lake's shore and, applying her teacher's advice and guidance, she was able to finish the exercise at her own pace.

Meanwhile, Elsa backtracked to a respectable distance to watch Anna. She had the faintest smile and blush on her face that she herself hardly noticed. But she wasn't totally oblivious to the smile and blush. She could still feel a feather-light warmth and pressure pressing down on the delicate features of her face.

When Anna was done, she gathered her arrows and put them away and strapped on her bow. She trotted back to her now-seemingly-stoic instructor.

"Miss Arendelle, um…"

"Yes?"

"I don't know much about you except you seem pretty strict, but you're not exactly mean. You're actually a pretty okay person. And I want to thank you again for helping me. I know it must have been frustrating for you to watch me fail over and over again, but I'm really glad you didn't give up on me. So, thanks a lot for that."

Elsa was a bit flabbergasted to say the least. But she kept her calm and swallowed a third time. She looked straight into Anna's eyes.

"That was nice to hear, Number 13, and you're welcome. But there's no need to tell anybody about this because it won't be a regular thing between us…Nor will be a regular thing for me to help students. Got it?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Okay, good. You may go now, Number 13."

Anna gave Elsa a small smile. "Okay. Thank you, Miss Arendelle."

Anna took her leave to head back to the academy for whatever free time she had before dinner. Elsa, on the other hand, remained at the lake for an hour past Anna's departure staring at the setting sun.

* * *

Anna started reading her copy of_ The Murder of Engine Maker Rolfsen_ by Maurits Hansen when a knock sounded on her bedroom door. Anna sighed and closed her book before setting it down. She went over to open the door to find Kristoff on the other side.

"Kristoff? What are you doing here?"

"I thought since we have time before dinner that we should spend time together."

"Is Sven going to join us?"

"Oh, no. He's taking a nap before dinner."

"Oh, okay. What did you have in mind?"

"Do you want to play a game of droughts in the common room?"

"Sure! Just wait here."

Anna dashed to her bedside table and grabbed her keys and then returned to Kristoff to lock her door. As they walked down to the common room, Kristoff periodically glanced over at Anna.

"So…Anna. You spent quite a bit of time with Miss Arendelle again. Should I be worried?"

"No, Kristoff. I just had trouble doing the exercise correctly. At one point Miss Arendelle gave me some advice and I was able to finish the exercise. I guess she got tired waiting around for me to finish. I mean, I'd get a little antsy too if I was her watching over one student who needed to finish an exercise when I could take advantage of getting some extra free time."

"Did she yell at you or insult you?"

Anna looked over at Kristoff shocked. "No! Dear no, Kristoff! Don't you have any faith in our instructor? She's not heartless; she's just tough. She sort of helped me in her own weird and quiet way."

"Oh, okay. I was just looking out for you."

"You could do that without misjudging someone else."

"Why are you defending her?"

"I'm just saying, Kristoff, is that you shouldn't misjudge people when you don't know them."

"You don't know Miss Arendelle either."

"I know her more than you do. I at least stay after most classes with her to get a glimpse how she is as a person."

"I guess you're right about that."

"Thanks, Kristoff."

Anna gave Kristoff a gentle smile before they came to the door leading to the common room. Kristoff opened the door for Anna and she thanked him. They walked over to the droughts table and had set up a game.

Anna and Kristoff had fun playing on the checkered board, occasionally cracking jokes about each other's skill set as player and laughing at each other's expense all in a good-natured way. By the time they were done with the game, neither one of them cared who won and it was getting close to dinner time. They chose to go together to wake up Sven from his nap.

Over dinner it was later revealed to Sven that Anna won the game and that Sven had a dream about being around a bunch of reindeers. While Sven entertained Anna with the details of his fanciful and silly dream, Kristoff watched Anna enjoy herself. He enjoyed taking in the sight of how happy and relaxed she looked, how her mouth curled into an amused smile, and how her laugh rolled off her tongue like music from a symphony flowing into a full house warming the velvet seats and floors. He propped his head on one of his hands and just watched Anna interact with Sven. It made him happy that his friends was becoming more relaxed than before and it made him happy just looking at her in all her quirky charm and natural beauty. Before long, Kristoff blinked from confusion and decided to get back to eating, stuffing his face with food, trying to push out any thoughts forming in his head of how beautiful his friend Anna looked.

TBC…


	8. Quiet Saturday

**A/N: Hello, guys. Sorry for the late update. I had meant to update last weekend, but my parents, sister, and I had gone on a family vacation trip to make up for the previous trip with other family members and make up for the start of our summer break. Also, I felt reinvigorated after coming back from the trip, saw Inside Out, and learned that America has legalized gay marriage in every state today (6/26), which is great since it occurred during Pride Month. This is funny considering that Pride Month is June and in June is the summer solstice and, depending on the date, is also Princess Anna's birthday. Gay princess… I should add this to my profile to explain why both Elsa and Anna should be lesbian lovers. Anyway…here's a new chapter and don't despair legion of Elsanna fans. This chapter is not a threat; it's just for plot and character development. But it's mostly for character development. So, don't freak out. One last thing: thank you guys for your support and interest in the story. :) It's amazing that this story has fifty favorites and close to a hundred and twenty five follows. Thanks so much!**

* * *

After the first two weeks of class swung by, Elsa found herself at the lake where she brought her class to for moving target practice. She remembered that day well. It had only been the third day of instruction and yet she found herself giving one student more attention and help than she done for all her other student's she's taught for the five years she's been an instructor and member of the Order. She hadn't expected so much interaction with a student before but somehow she convinced herself to help out one student since that one student's father saved her parents' lives. So, in a way, it was okay for her to help Anna a little more than compared to her classmates. Yet it still baffled Elsa how social she was with Anna.

Although, the two of them haven't had much interaction with each other since that day at the lake. Whatever interaction happened between them was minimal and unavoidable. On the bright side, they were at least civil with each other and it gave Elsa time to think.

Since Anna usually was the first student to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before class started, nice stretches of silence filled the air between them. Most of the silence were comfortable and gave Elsa the chance to properly evaluate her situation with Anna.

One day after class and some deliberation, Elsa was going to approach Anna about what should be done about any extra tutelage that might be needed in the near future. Unfortunately before Elsa had a chance to take one step in Anna's direction, Kristoff and Sven came in and whisked Anna away toward the academy. Elsa retracted her almost-step-forward and turned around to make her trek back home. It was by that time that Elsa chose not to make an effort to consult Anna about extra practice and lessons. She even didn't bother to reply to Anna's worried question about her well-being that she asked two days ago. She felt it wasn't worth the trouble telling her student what was on her mind.

Elsa sighed. She didn't know what she would do with Anna, but she determined she wouldn't do anything for the time being. She would do something later when the occasion arose. For now she would go through her usual lake vigil of gazing at the lake, hope for a better tomorrow, and then find herself in a hidden nook behind some boulders near the lake shore and visit her parents.

* * *

Anna mindlessly was shooting arrows onto a tree, with each arrow landing higher up the bark than the previous one. When she ran out of her arrows, she marched over and began to pluck them from the bark and put the back into her quiver.

The moment she turned around, though, she found Kristoff smiling at her from a short distance. He walked up to her and gave her a friendly hug. "It's Saturday!"

Anna gently patted Kristoff's back before he released her from his embrace.

"I know."

"We should do something fun because last Saturday and Sunday you stayed in your room and read or went outside and practiced shooting arrows."

"What? I need to practice and I wanted to catch up on some reading."

"Yeah, okay. But we need to do something fun today."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I thought that maybe we should go to the town's tavern."

"Will Sven be with us?"

"No. He'll be spending the day with some of his other friends he made last year."

"Oh. So, it'll just be the two of us, Kristoff?"

"Yes. I hope that's okay."

"Sure."

Kristoff smiled. It was true that Sven had other friends and been thinking about when to meet up with them. Yet Sven had no actual plans for the two days they automatically got off from the school schedule. In fact, Kristoff asked Sven the day before during class to make plans for himself as he wanted to spend some quality alone time with Anna. Sven agreed to let Kristoff go through with his plan.

Anna, being genuinely happy, smiled back. Maybe she could just unwind with a friend at a tavern and relax. She's been confused and stressed at times trying to figure out Miss Arendelle's character. One moment she's strict and mysterious and the next she's gentle and a bit on the shy side. But now she reverted slightly back to her former self. It's like she's purposely keeping Anna at arm's length, but more. And that puzzles Anna because they made progress. However, she won't give up quite yet. She did recall that maybe Miss Arendelle wanted to speak to her after class two days ago, but then was afraid to and gave up. With this swirling in her mind, a beer or two would definitely help her forget her worries for a little while, especially if she had a good friend like Kristoff to just talk to for a little while.

"So, um…we can go as soon as I put my gear away."

"Great."

After spending ten minutes to put her equipment away in her storage unit, Anna and Kristoff took a short trek to the town's tavern. As soon as they arrived at the bar, they ordered two pilsners. They chatted about the weather and the academy while waiting for their beers.

When they received their drinks, they settled down at a low round table that seated three people and Kristoff decided to redirect the conversation in a different direction. He turned to Anna who was in the midst of drinking a healthy gulp of her pilsner, getting her upper lip covered with foam from the head, and smiled wide once she placed the pilsner glass on the cork coaster. Kristoff inwardly smiled from adoration and entertainment as he concealed his laughter from looking at Anna who had a foamy mustache on her delicate and cute face. He swallowed the rest of his amusement down as a show of good manners and friendship and discretely tapped his upper lip as he said, "Um…Anna? You got a little foam…here."

Anna took a moment to understand what Kristoff was telling her before it clicked in her mind and wiped the foam off with her bare arm.

She then blushed and added, "Sorry."

A light-hearted chuckle rolled up and out of Kristoff's throat. "It's okay."

"So, did you have something to say, Kristoff?"

"What?"

"You looked like you were going to change the subject."

"Oh!...Right. Anna, I have something that I really want to say."

Anna scooted closer toward the table with genuine interest so she could hear Kristoff better.

"What is it, Kristoff?"

Kristoff hesitated. Would it be too soon to tell a friend that you possibly have a romantic crush on them? Kristoff had considered the consequences. On the one hand, his and Anna's friendship was so new and fresh that a leap like this could share Anna away and ultimately ruin his friendship with her. But at the same time, if he doesn't act soon he might forever remain her friend no matter how good their friendship grows over time. He had to do something now because Anna with just staring at him with doe eyes, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say. He had to say something, anything. As long as he didn't make her wait like that forever. He could always try another time before it's too late. He took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"Anna, I think that…"

"Yes, Kristoff?"

Before Kristoff could go any further three shadows lurked overhead. Kristoff and Anna looked over at the source and saw, with disgust, the three people they least wanted to see in the whole world—Hans and his two friends.

Hans had the most infuriating smug look on his boorishly side-burned face. "Hello there, Anna and Kristoff. Enjoying some liquid bread I see."

Kristoff hunched his shoulders together in a defensive stance. "Go away, Hans."

"Now, that's not very nice, Kristoff. I only said 'hi.' What would Miss Arendelle think of your poor manners?"

A vein formed in Anna's forehead. There was no way Miss Arendelle would like that kind of comment slide. Yes, it was true she wanted the class to show good posture and politeness among other non-archery skills, but she knew that Miss Arendelle wouldn't mind hearing Kristoff tell Hans to shove off since she didn't like him either. She might give him a slight lecture after Hans and his goons were gone, but not in front of them where they had the satisfaction of being remotely correct.

Anna stood up in frustration and gritted her teeth while glaring at Hans. "Hans, leave us alone. You and your friends have no business being here."

"But, Anna, as you can see, me, Peter, and Carl have every right to be here. It is a public space after all. We're here for some beer."

"That's all very fine, but leave us alone. You're infringing on our right as tavern customers to enjoy our time here."

"Oh, you're so right. I'll give you that one, Anna. But I do have something to tell you."

"What is that?"

"If you think you'll graduate from Miss Arendelle's class, you better think again. No matter how hard you try, you won't pass her class and graduate from the academy the first time, especially as a late-entry as yourself."

"And you think you'll pass her class?"

"I don't think; I know."

"I'll prove to you that I can pass Miss Arendelle's class. I'll even beat you while I'm at it."

A cocky eyebrow raised on Hans' face. "Is that a challenge, Anna?"

Anna hesitated for a moment. She hadn't realized the repercussions of her statement but decided to stand firm and nodded in response. "It is."

Hans smirked. "Great. Shall we define some terms as to who will prove to be the best archer in Miss Arendelle's class?"

"Nothing more than bragging rights. We don't need to involve anyone else in this."

Hans frowned for a moment. "Fine. You just have to ruin the fun and keep it strictly to ourselves, don't you, Anna?"

"Yes. I'm sure if you beat me it'll be victory enough to see the disappointment on my face."

The smug smile returned to Hans' face for a brief moment. "I guess so. But it's not a question of if I beat you but when I'll beat you. Who knows? Maybe you'll give up on the class long before the school year is out and that'll leave me the victor."

"Hans, it's called a challenge for a reason. You're not guaranteed a victory, not yet anyway. You need to prove that you're the best archery student Miss Arendelle has had."

"Fine. I can do that. It should be fun watching you fail miserably while I cut a clean victory path for myself at the end of the school year."

"Good luck with that because I'll be the best archery student Miss Arendelle has had."

Hans laughed. "You're the one who'll need the luck. Not me." Then he laughed again and turned away from Anna. Peter and Carl snickered at Anna as they followed Hans' lead and went to the bar to order beers.

Once the three of them were gone, Anna huffed and plopped down back into her chair. She crossed her arms, perturbed by Hans's cocky attitude. She had two reasons she accepted the challenge with him: 1.) he needed to be put in his place and 2.) she needed something to motive herself to become the best possible archery student she could be so she could graduate and join the Order of the Arrows. But aside from those reasons, Anna really didn't want to get involved in a challenge with Hans involved. She would just have to deal with it.

Across the table, Kristoff watched Anna's mood go from calm and collected to frustrated and irritated the moment she talked to Hans and how it stewed when she sat down after he left with his friends. The burly blonde tentatively lifted his pilsner glass and took a long, calming sip of his pilsner while keeping an eye on the strawberry-blonde girl who currently had a sailor's temperament (without the foul and strangled language, of course). After the sip, he put the glass down and simply stared at the feisty ball of cute that was his companion. Some time and twiddling of thumbs passed before Anna finally relaxed her shoulders and sighed. She uncrossed her arms and threw them up in the air with an exasperated expression on her face. Her hands flopped back onto the table before curling nicely around the pilsner glass in front of her.

Shoulders were hunched and brows were knitted together. Anna's opened her mouth but sound came out. After an extended pause, she spoke.

"Hans is such a jerk! I can't believe he did that! He ruined our time here at the tavern and then infuriates me to the point of accepting a challenge with him. Now, I'm going to really prove that I'm the best archery student Miss Arendelle had just to put him in his place."

"Anna, calm down. So what if he kind of persuaded you into a challenge with him? It has only given you a chance to prove yourself that you're not as bad as an archer as he or…even Miss Arendelle may think of you. You can use this opportunity to motivate yourself to become the best student in the class and even graduate and become a member of the Order. I know Hans is…well let's just say he's the Devil's nephew. But you know, Anna, this challenge will be good for you. And it's a really good thing that you persuaded him not involve other people in the challenge. Who knows what bastard demands he would have made if you didn't say something first?"

"That is true that challenge will be good for me. And I'm surprised Hans didn't complain that I said we shouldn't involve other people. I don't trust him. We can't keep our guard down; he might try to add demands later for the challenge."

"If he does, then you'll just have to have a counter offer when that happens."

"I guess so…"

Kristoff gave Anna a comforting smile. "Don't worry. You can think of something later just in case. But for now, let's just enjoy the rest of our beer and time we have at the tavern. We can still salvage what fun we had before Hans and his friends showed up. Okay?"

Anna gave Kristoff a small smile. "Okay."

"Great. Want to hear a neat story?"

Anna perked up at the mention of a neat story. "Yes, please."

"Okay. Here it goes…"

* * *

Elsa walked back to her home after visiting her parents. Before she could search her right pocket for her key to put in the door, she paused and thought for a moment. Her latest visit to her parents didn't make any more emotionally stronger than she wanted to for some time now. She recalled a piece of advice Olaf gave her a few weeks before school that she should try to visit the academy grounds outside of class time to unwind and relax. He had suggested the academy's garden where she could calm down and clear her head with bothersome thoughts. And since he knew of her anti-social tendencies he recommended that she go visit the garden on days off when students and other instructors would most likely stay cooped up in their rooms or roaming around in town, especially around dinner time.

Since Elsa had a couple of hours before dinner, she decided to take a visit to the academy's garden, returned her key to its rightful place, and turned around. Soon after, she made her way to the academy. Maybe at the garden she would be able to figure out some personal issues she had in her life.

The garden was pleasant, its range of flowers, bushes, shrubs and trees were beautiful, with them being both vibrant with the color of life and quiet with the sounds of a moonlit night. All this and a professionally varnished wooden bench is what Elsa found when she arrived.

Upon sitting down, Elsa had the time and space to think of how her life has altered its path and come to the conclusion if the alteration is either a good or bad thing for her. What had changed was very little. The biggest change that occurred in her life was her interactions with her student, Anna Andersen. The interactions weren't bad, yet they had the potential to become unprofessional.

Elsa reconsidered her approaching Anna about any possible and necessary tutoring sessions because it potentially could give her the direction she needs as an instructor. Maybe if she came to some sort of agreement with Anna, then perhaps they could have a more professional and acceptable student-teacher relationship. It'd certainly give Elsa some semblance of order and control over her newly altered life, especially as a teacher. The only question is how she would approach Anna. She would need to just pick a day and consult with her either before or after class this coming week or any time after.

With a vague grasp of her plan of action, Elsa inhaled the fresh garden air of the early evening. She blinked once or twice before letting her icy blue eyes adjust to the surrounding setting with a fuller and more complete appreciation. The platinum-blonde woman relaxed her shoulder muscles and sat in comfortable silence in the academy's garden. And the corners of her mouth inched into a lady-bug sized grin.

* * *

A hysterical laugh tumbled out past Ann's lips after Kristoff concluded his story. Kristoff chuckled quite a bit too from the ending of the story of how he and Sven left a bag of burnt reindeer poop in Weselton's bedroom the previous year, but he never found himself laughing as hard as Anna. She seemed to have enjoyed listening to the story more than Kristoff enjoyed reliving it.

Anna threw her head back in the upright position and made an effort to subdue her all-out laughter into soft fits of giggles while also trying to subdue the warm flush of her cheeks to revert back to their original yet naturally rosy state. After some more giggling fits, Anna finally calmed down.

"Woo! That was a funny story, Kristoff. Thank you for sharing it with me."

Anna flashed Kristoff a beaming grin before lifting her glass to silently toast him and then down the sad remains her alcoholic beverage. Kristoff softly grinned to himself as he watched, with adoration, Anna drink the last of her beer. Before long, though, he downed his own beverage and finished it about the same time as Anna.

The two of them made eye contact and shared a tentative smile together.

"So…Kristoff, what time is it?"

"I don't know. Do you have your wrist watch?"

Anna looked at her watch. "It's half past six in the evening."

"I think we should head back to the academy for dinner."

"I think so too. My parents only allow me a certain amount of spending money per month. Besides, I want to hear what Sven did today with his friends."

"Okay. Let's go."

Anna and Kristoff headed for the bar to pay for their drinks and then walked out of the tavern to head back to the academy.

TBC…


	9. To Earn Her Respect

**A/N: Boy Scout guest reviewer, I already made the same statement in a previous A/N at the end of the first chapter, so I don't understand your review. As for other readers, please, just read the Author Notes I leave you guys, so you don't miss something that might help you guys understand something about a particular chapter or any fair warnings about update info. And in general, if anybody is confused about something, re-read the chapter before asking me through a review or a PM. It'll make things easier for you guys. Aside from that, I apologize for the wait. It took me longer to get this chapter up longer than I had anticipated.**

* * *

On Monday, Anna approached Elsa as soon as she got to the roll-call area. She kept her stride steady and her eyes focused on her instructor. She stopped five paces away from Elsa.

"Number 13, what are you doing here?"

"Miss Arendelle, out of simple human decency, I thought I should tell you something where you might be involved later."

"What is it, Number 13?"

"This past Saturday I ran into Hans at the local tavern. He and I sort of made a deal with each other—a rivalry, really. Despite agreeing on the terms of bragging rights after proving to be the best archery student you've had, I'm afraid Hans will try and sneak in new terms that would turn you into a trophy to be won. And I don't want that to happen to you. You're a decent person, as far as I can tell, and should receive the respect you deserve."

"It's all very good that you told me this, but I have two questions for you. First question: why did you bother to accept Mr. Westergard's challenge? Shouldn't you just focus on passing my class?"

"I accepted his challenge to motivate myself and to prevent him from having the satisfaction of being the top archer of your class."

Elsa nodded a bit. "Fair enough. Second question: why do you suppose Mr. Westergard would go so far as to disrespect me as a human to the point of viewing me as a trophy?"

Anna blushed, not realizing what she implied with that comment. She stuttered for a moment before she could gather her wits.

"Um…Well, Hans seems like the kind of person to do a thing like that and I'm not blind. Anybody could plainly see that you're pleasant to look at and, given the aesthetics of your body, it would be easy to assume that Hans would see you more as a trophy instead of his respected teacher or even see you as a person for that matter. That's all I'm saying."

Elsa crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm grateful you came to me like this, Number 13. You're certainly ahead of most of your classmates when it comes to having a good and forthright character. But I had something to tell you as well and you gave me an excuse to say what I want to say."

"What is it?"

"Well, I was going to approach you after class, but I should do it now especially since you mentioned to me your newfound rivalry with Mr. Westergard. I was wondering if you want tutelage from me outside of class time or if you would rather work on your own? I was going to offer tutelage to you before this new information because I see you have potential, but you struggle with building self-esteem."

"Oh…Um, I think I should work on my own since I think it'd a more honorable and honest practice to improve myself while being Hans' rival…even if he cheats."

"I admire that sort of attitude in other people, but you might want to think things over. There's no shame in receiving help sometimes. In life you must learn to proud or humble, independent or dependent of others, or to be quiet to keep the peace or speak up for justice. Just as parents learn to pick their battles with their children, you, not just as an archer but also as a person, must learn to pick the right course of action when appropriate. You might be at an elite archery academy and have me as your instructor, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything on your own. Just think things through during class. Okay?"

"Okay."

The corners of Elsa's mouth lifted up in the slightest height—no more than a centimeter really.

"Good. Now, get back to your spot, Number 13."

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

Without another word, Anna walked back to her roll-call spot. By the time she got there she was surrounded by Kristoff and Sven. The two of them talked among themselves as she blankly stared at Miss Arendelle. This is what she did for a moment or so before her friends' words sunk in and made her aware of their presence.

Before long Elsa called attention to her students and began class. It was another specialized day where they'd focus on one or two abilities to learn as archers. Today she would have them work on stamina and endurance. Yet, as usual, she had the class warm up and then sent them off on a two mile run.

However, she did something different that day; she ran with her class. She waited for a whole minute before setting down her archery gear and then making a mad dash towards her class. Elsa easily caught up with Anna within two minutes, glanced at her, and pushed on towards the front until she was two body lengths ahead of her students. She kept pace as she turned around to run backwards.

As she ran her breasts had a little bounce to them even though she typically kept them well bounded and covered. This, no doubt, attracted the attention of a small handful of male students. Anna noticed the blatantly perverted stares from her classmates before she noticed Miss Arendelle's chest herself and, when she did, found herself slightly pleased with the bouncing action. Yet Anna knew better; she knew she couldn't be seen acting the same way her eight classmates were, and she had enough self-control and respect for her instructor not to stare. Instead she shifted her gaze towards the platinum blonde's eyes.

Unfortunately, that didn't help either. As soon as she averted her gaze to Miss Arendelle's eyes, they made eye-contact. The moment might have lasted for a second or more, but it was intense. Anna felt weak in the knees and could swear her heart melted like butter as her teal eyes locked with Elsa's icy blue ones. Not just that, but Anna thought that Miss Arendelle flashed her a coy smile.

Anna gulped. She couldn't take the intense look she received from her instructor and looked over her shoulder to focus on the surrounding landscape before them.

She hadn't looked at the landscape before but now she was glad she did. Around them was a beautiful sight, one with fine greenery, where trees and bushes vibrantly glowed from their flowers popping with color, ranging from warm to cool colors. The colors themselves—the reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues—were alive with varying shades and hues and as bright and impressive as rainbows. Yet the colors were more transcendent than rainbows themselves.

Anna drank in the scenery so much that she forgot her moment of weakness for the admiration of Miss Arendelle's physical attributes and lost track of time. In the meantime, Miss Arendelle motivated her class to keep up the pace before turning around and run normally.

On instinct Anna turned her attention back on her instructor. This time she was faced with a firm yet bouncy ass. Some ticks of time passed before Elsa's challenge finally processed in her mind. Simultaneously, her eyes caught up with the action as she saw both female and male students try to push themselves and ketch up with Miss Arendelle. But they failed as they soon found they did not have enough strength to run close the level of their instructor's speed.

For her part Anna kept up her own pace, not wanting to waste precious energy. She had been tempted to run with the rest of class and try to match Miss Arendelle's speed and endurance, but she knew she couldn't attempt such a feat at the position she currently was at. But somehow, someday she would achieve such a great goal….But she needed to figure out how.

Anna recalled what Miss Arendelle told her before class started and the more she thought about her offer of tutelage, the more desirable it seemed. After further deliberation, Anna thought it wouldn't be too bad to take up Miss Arendelle's offer. If she tutored her, it technically wasn't cheating and she could learn things from Miss Arendelle that her classmates mostly likely wouldn't have the privilege to know about like things she learned from being a past student or being a member of the Order. Plus, it wouldn't be too bad to also learn about her instructor as a person and silently admire her physique—not just from hope of obtaining the same kind of bodily fitness, but for simple viewing pleasure. The strawberry-blonde girl grinned to herself as she realized all the benefits of being tutored by her _beautiful _instructor.

Yet the smile faded as one rat-worthy disturbance pushed itself into the forefront of Anna's mind: the drawbacks of being tutored by her instructor. Anna took a moment and was relieved to find only one major drawback and that was dealing with Miss Arendelle being too strict, and that didn't concern Anna since her teacher didn't like the type of person to be too strict. Plus, she was already used to her instructor's teaching method, so she really had nothing to worry about. She could only benefit from having Miss Arendelle not just as an instructor but as a tutor as well.

After coming to a decision, Anna decided to stay motivated to get through the rest of the run and stare at Elsa's back as something to focus on in front of her. While she did she noticed the ululating curves of her instructor's spine, but also noted how graceful she was in her movements. In this moment Anna realized that she also Miss Arendelle for her grace and hoped to be half as graceful as she was someday.

Once the two mile run was complete, Elsa allowed her students to have a water break. Most students were dragging their feet toward the roll-call area when she made her announcement. Anna somehow got left behind in the dust near the end of the last lap and just arrived when her classmates began making their sad and pathetic treks toward the water well. She heaved and doubled over supporting herself by pressing her hands to her knees. Elsa noticed this and knitted her eyebrows a little.

"Number 13, are you okay? You seemed to do just fine during the run until the very end. What happened?"

Anna couldn't talk at the moment since she was busy breathing in heavy breaths. Before she could summon the strength to stand up straight and say something, she stumbled a little. Fortunately for her, Elsa was near her side and caught her. She helped her up into a proper standing position.

"Number 13, say something."

"I tripped over my own feet somehow and then nearly got trampled by the class because they…"

"Were desperate to finish the run already. I know. Did your classmates trample over you?"

"No…I just lost my balance and got left behind."

"Okay. Well, get some water when you can and rest a little because we still have some stuff to do."

Anna looked over at Miss Arendelle with as much energy and passion as she could muster currently.

"I hope you don't plan on making us do some really hard stuff."

"No. I initially was going to have the class jump lunges and planks, but that was before I saw that the class isn't exactly where I wanted you guys for today. I'm going to see how everybody feels and accommodate the schedule accordingly."

"Okay. Great. By the way, I didn't mean to make you sound like heartless. I know you're strict, I just didn't know how strict though."

"I know. But I'm glad you asked. It helps me think a little better. Go get some water, Number 13."

Anna wiped some sweat from underneath her nose and gave Elsa a crooked smile. "Yes, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa shook her head in amusement as she watched her redheaded student limp over to the water well.

At once when everyone had some water and got back to their roll-call spots, they recovered a little bit. Elsa asked the class how they were feeling to evaluate the situation better before making up altered exercises for the day. She wanted them to be the best they could be, but it would be worthless if they weren't in good medical condition and she had to make sure they were healthy in body and in mind. Everyone seemed good enough to move on and she had them do a simple set of lunges and then had them do two sets of jumping jacks and jumping lunges. After the class completed those exercises, Elsa consulted her watch for the time. They still had a couple of hours until six, but she looked back at her class to reevaluate their conditions and decided to give them a break. She crossed her arms and had spread her legs as she did on the first day of school.

"Class, it's four in the afternoon. I was planning to have today's session run until six, but seeing how tired you guys are I'll let you guys leave early. We can work on our stamina and endurance training some other day. Go back to the academy and rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

Some of the students cheered or, at least, tried to cheer while others flashed small yet grateful smiles in Elsa's direction. She nodded to her students as they left in small groups and then began to put her cloak and gear back on.

Off in the right-side lower corner, a tired Anna, Kristoff, and Sven congregated towards each other.

"Wow. Miss Arendelle can be really tough," Kristoff said.

"Tell me about it, "Anna added.

Kristoff turned to Sven. "What do you think buddy?"

Sven wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his right head. "All I know is that she's not demeaning to the class or has ludicrous standards."

"So…is that a 'yes,' buddy?"

"Yes. I guess so."

"So…what should we do?"

"I'm going to do what any sane person would do and what Miss Arendelle told us and rest."

"I guess so. I was just making small talk." Kristoff turned to Anna. "Are you coming with us, Anna?"

"No. I think I'll stand here for a bit longer so I have the energy to walk back to my room for some rest."

"Okay. Will we see you at dinner?"

"Yes."

"Great. See you then, Anna."

Kristoff and Sven staggered off back to the academy while Anna turned toward Elsa who just finished putting her bow and quiver of arrows back on her back. With what strength she had left, Anna walked over to Miss Arendelle.

"Number 13? What are you doing here? I thought you would return to your room for some rest?"

"I will do that, but I have to tell you something first."

"What is it?"

"I thought about your offer of tutoring me during class."

"And?"

"If it's still okay with you, Miss Arendelle, I'd like for you to tutor me outside of class time."

"Okay. Are you sure though? You don't have to force yourself to my tutee."

"I'm sure. I realized that I could only benefit from being your tutee."

"Okay. So, what times and days would be good for you?"

"I don't know. What times and days are good for you?"

"Number 13, it's my job as an instructor to make sacrifices in my daily life to accommodate the needs of my students. So, don't worry about my schedule."

"Okay…Well, um…What about Monday and Friday mornings?"

"That's fine with me, but are you sure you want to give up Friday mornings for tutoring? We can do the tutoring on Mondays and Thursdays if you prefer."

"No. Fridays are fine. I need to stay motivated on those days the most anyway."

"Okay. What length of time?"

"Um… How about eight to nine for both Mondays and Fridays?"

"That sounds perfect."

"Great."

"I'll see you Friday morning at eight here then."

"Okay."

Silence fell over the two women for a spell. Anna rubbed her right arm out of sheer awkwardness.

"Uh…Thanks for offering to tutor me, Miss Arendelle."

"No problem."

Anna smiled at Elsa. "Okay. Uh…I'm going to go rest now. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa smirked back. "See you tomorrow, Miss Andersen."

Anna absentmindedly nodded in response and was about to retreat to the academy, but then something suddenly processed in her mind. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open as she looked back at Miss Arendelle.

"What did you say, Miss Arendelle? Did you say my name?"

Elsa pursed her lips. "No, I didn't."

Anna's smile returned. "Yes, you did."

"Okay. I did. What's so special about me referring to you by your surname?"

"Aside from Hans, I'm the only other student you've called by their last name. You haven't called anybody else by their name and only by their number. And I know that you only call Hans by his last name because you don't want to call him by his number…But with me, you did it out of respect…Do you like me, Miss Arendelle?"

"I don't have any feelings for you if that's what you're going for, but I do respect you enough to call you by your surname. That is all."

"Why the sudden change?"

"I already told you why. Do you want me to go back calling you by your number?"

Anna threw up her hands in front of her in show of defense. "No. Of course not, Miss Arendelle. I was just curious."

"Hm…Very well. Just don't get too excited that I know call you 'Miss Andersen.' Okay?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Good. Now, I suggest you get some rest."

Anna grinned at Elsa. "Yes, Miss Arendelle…Thank you, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa took a step back. Anna was starting to freak her out, but in a good way. She cleared her throat.

"You're welcome."

Anna looked like she was about to touch Elsa, but chose not to. Instead, she turned around and walked back to the academy with a flushed, biting-her-bottom-lip-smile and some newfound energy after talking with her instructor.

Elsa watched Anna walk back to the academy in case she needed to be around to help her student back to her room. She stayed put until she was satisfied that Anna would be fine on her own and then made her way to her own home, feeling content with her interaction with Anna Andersen.

TBC…


	10. The New Routine

Elsa arrived at the class's usual meeting spot half an hour before eight. She already had her breakfast and a nice cup of coffee to energize and wake her up for the day. She especially would need the energy for the extra activity added to her usual day of being an instructor since it would be her first day as a tutor. Luckily for her, she could just stand around until Miss Andersen arrived.

Ten minutes passed until Anna came into view. She walked with a purpose toward her roll-call number and then looked over at her instructor.

"Come closer, Miss Andersen. You don't need to stand so far away when it's just the two of us."

"Okay." Anna easily followed her instructions and stopped just a few feet away from Miss Arendelle. "Ready when you are, Miss Arendelle."

"You're astoundingly perky for someone who doesn't appear to be a morning person. Is the dining center open and serving coffee?"

"Well, yes. But I had hot chocolate to wake me up."

"Did you eat?"

"No. I figured I'll have something after we're done."

"Very well. But try to eat before tutoring sessions after this one. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Good. Now, run two laps around the perimeter of the academy's main grounds; don't worry about the towers, just run around the main building."

"Yes, Miss Arendelle." Anna turned on her heels and started out in a jog before breaking out into a steady running pace.

By the time Anna finished her second lap Elsa had her sprint toward objects and then jump over them. At first Anna struggled a little, but then she got used to the exercise and excelled thereafter. From that point on, Anna generally did well on the other exercises Elsa dictated to her. Once the tutoring session was over, Elsa dismissed Anna for a quick breakfast.

The next time they saw each other was for a regular class session. Elsa had the class go through the motions of a remedial exercise schedule. Yet, through the basic and tedious exercises, Anna seemed to have made improvements even if they were only noticeable to herself and Miss Arendelle. But they were improvements nonetheless and she felt good about them. But that didn't mean she still had plenty space for improvement. When class was over, Anna was still relatively tired. Fortunately for her, and for the rest of the class, Miss Arendelle dismissed them a whole hour earlier than the usual time.

Unlike most other times, Anna didn't linger after class. She took the opportunity to return to her room and take advantage of the rare free-time she is allotted after class and before dinner time. Plus, she thought to herself, she felt she deserved a nice nap for the extra effort she put in waking up earlier than usual to participate in the tutoring session and had the energy and motivation to give her best still in the regular class session.

* * *

Elsa was reading when she heard a knock on the front door. She bookmarked her place before ambling over and opening the door. In came Olaf with a sweet smile on his face. Elsa closed the door before following Olaf back to her reading area near the fireplace. Her short friend got comfy in the blue velvet overstuffed chair adjacent from hers. Sitting back in her chair, she re-opened her book while looking at him.

"What brings you here, Olaf?"

"I was thinking of what we could do for the students and got to talking with Elder Pabbie."

"And?"

"And we discussed about integrating some new skills and re-introducing some other archery equipment."

"Like what?"

"Well, seeing as you're so good at giving your students well-rounded training, we decided to use your methodology as inspiration."

"What are you talking about, Olaf?"

"Elder Pabbie and I thought we could have the students use other bows, like the crossbow, composite bow, and a modified version of the longbow, something lighter and smaller in size. And we were also thinking of introducing the students to different types of protective gear and other kinds of arrows. This will be in addition to the usual skills that we include in the current curriculum, such as shooting while hopping on tree branches and riding horses."

"So, you're going to have the students use other bows, arrows, and gear while learning all the typical archery skills we drill them with?"

"Yes. But that's not all! We talked some more and decided that your survival skill lessons would be good for the whole academy. We're particularly fond of your winter survival lesson. At first we were thinking we'd make the lesson mandatory for all classes, but then we thought we'd make it more interactive and challenging."

"How?"

"We can't decide between having classes compete against each other or treat it like a mid-year test before the final test. Elder Pabbie wanted your opinion before other instructors knew, so he sent me here. So, Elsa, what do you think?"

Elsa looked up from her book, wearing a puzzled expression on her face. She went on to respond with an answer that seemed obvious to her and it showed with the conviction in her voice. "Why can't you treat it like both options?"

Olaf leaned in closer toward Elsa, interested in what she had to say. "What do you mean?"

Elsa tucked her left ankle under her right one and set the book down on her lap. "Well, maybe we should have a mid-year test to better prepare students before graduation, but we should make it seem like a competition so that way the students feel more motivated to do well in the test."

"How would that work?"

"We would have all of the classes participate in a winter survival challenge. Classes will be viewed as teams and the goal is to get through an obstacle course that will test the students' survival skills as archers and will have a starting and ending point. The classes that finish earlier than other classes will get 'points.' For example, we have a weeklong obstacle course and to get a hundred points each class needs to come back within the first hour of the designated return time after the week was up. 'Points' will be reduced with each passing hour afterwards."

So…a hundred points would be given within the first hour of the return time? What does that mean?"

"Let's say the return time is noon. Classes that arrive between noon and one can get a hundred would get a hundred points. One minute after one in the afternoon to two in the afternoon would have ninety points and so on and so forth."

"So if a class or 'team' returned by eleven at night, then they'd get ten points total?"

"Correct."

Olaf's eyes widen a little from the revelation. "Wow."

"What?"

"That's a really good idea. I mean, it's actually a great idea. I think that would be a good way to test students' skill set before they take the final test and graduate. The thing is…does that mean we need to modify the final test to fit the new curriculum? And will the instructors need to be with their classes for the obstacle course?"

"We probably should modify the final test and come with our students. They need an experienced team leader and, as instructors, we should be there for our classes. We'll guide them and encourage teamwork."

"Oh…! That makes sense. We should do that, especially if we want to make sure our students turn out okay at the end."

"Indeed."

"So, should we incorporate the use of other bows and other skills so the students will be prepared for the mid-year obstacle course?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll tell Elder Pabbie and if things go well, we'll tell the instructors and then agree upon a day when we make the announcement to our students."

"Sounds good, Olaf."

"I knew you'd have great ideas for a new curriculum. You just have great ideas for different things, but sometimes people don't understand them even if they make sense to me and to some other instructors like Kai and Gerda, and Elders Pabbie and Bulda."

Elsa lifted her book back up and flicked her eyes down onto the page. "I know. Mr. Weselton especially doesn't like my ideas regardless if they make sense to him or not," Elsa said derisively.

Olaf got up from his chair and went to Elsa's side to rub his skinny hand in a circular motion against Elsa's back. "I know. I know how Mr. Weselton doesn't like you, how he spreads nasty lies about you and your parents, barring you from making meaningful connections with the other instructors."

Elsa's tense back relaxed in Olaf's comforting touch. "I know, Olaf, and I'm glad I have you as my friend. But I don't care to be around others."

Olaf sympathetically patted his friend's back before making a short retreat from Elsa's chair. "You only feel that way because you want to be able to reject others before they can reject you, Elsa, but I know you'd like to have the chance to start anew with the rest of the academy if Mr. Weselton didn't get inside the other instructors' ears."

Elsa sighed and gently laid her book on her lap again. "I know, Olaf, but there's not much for me to do or hope for."

"Yes, there is. You have potential to bond with your students. That's why I encourage you to get to know them. And if you have potential to bond with your students, maybe the other instructors will give you a chance and you gain new friends."

"I know, Olaf. Yet it's so hard. I don't know how to start a conversation without sounding authoritive or awkward. I know how to instruct and give advice, but I do not know how to _socialize_."

Olaf gently smiled at Elsa. "You'll get there someday, Elsa…" The white as snow man looked over at the door. He added, "But I have to go now, Elsa." He looked back at her and she looked up at him with a look he'd never seen before—a look of low self-esteem, frustration, and pain —and it nearly broke his heart. "Okay, Olaf. I'll see you later."

Olaf felt bad for leaving his friend like this, but he had to get back to Elder Pabbie. He'd make sure to help Elsa make her world filled more with love, friendship, and understanding and less of a world with loneliness, bitterness, and self-deprivation. His voice nearly broke when he spoke but he kept up the bubbly attitude to keep things positive for Elsa's sake (and she knew that he did it on purpose). "Okay! I'll see you later, Elsa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. I'm going to talk to Elder Pabbie before it's too late."

Elsa gave Olaf a small smile. "Okay. Good luck, Olaf. And thank you."

He returned the favor before dipping down and hugging Elsa. "You're welcome." Then he was off toward the academy.

When Olaf was gone, Elsa sighed with relief and pinched the bridge of her nose. Immediately after, she went back to reading her book until she had to stop to make some dinner for herself. After dinner she went back to reading and finished a chapter before going to bed.

TBC…


	11. A New Flower In Elderwood

**A/N: Hey, guys! Thank you for your patience and for your well wishes for my trip to Europe. It was good. I got to see my brother and his girlfriend and my family and I met up with some relatives from my mom's side. But I am glad to be back home in the States. Luckily, when I was in Europe I had brought a notebook with me so I could write down notes for this chapter. Unfortunately, I needed some extra time to readjust because of jet lag and I grew a little unwell while in Europe and when returning home. Now, I'm better and have been able to write this chapter for you guys. I hope you like it; it's been a while after all. Also, I want to give thanks to all of the 155 followers for this story! :) On a side note, no one voted for the open poll on my profile and only voted through the review box and it seems people want war, so I will go in that direction for the story.**

September was in full swing in the town of Elderwood. After a delayed start for the first few days of the month, a new season arose.

The leaves were changing colors to the classic combination of brown, red, and yellow. The sun was beginning to show less of itself but still remained strong in the beginning of the month. Some clouds began to dot the sky, like the first stars coming out at night. And all of these changes were a welcome sight to the residents of Elderwood.

It's been close to two weeks since Olaf and Elsa discussed the new curriculum that Elder Pabbie decided to make it effective. He called for the instructors in the academy's library to tell them about the changes in the school schedule. During the meeting Elsa stayed in a shadowed corner as not to be noticed. Even when Elder Pabbie gave her and Olaf credit for the schedule, she wanted to stay out of sight in case the other instructors got the wrong idea and would want to glare at her.

Once the meeting was adjourned, the instructors were dismissed with Elder Pabbie's instructions to make the announcement to their students on the following Monday.

As the instructors filed out, Elsa stayed behind. Olaf nonchalantly stood to one of the side shelves while Elder Pabbie stood near the door. He glanced over at Elsa's corner before giving Olaf a goodbye smile and leaving. Elsa finally emerged from the safety of her corner and was brought into one of Olaf's signature warm hugs. She reciprocated after some hesitation.

Olaf pulled away and smiled at Elsa. "Why were you so shy? You should be proud to have taken part of developing a new curriculum."

"I didn't want the other instructors to get the wrong idea and think I forced the idea on Elder Pabbie."

Olaf frowned briefly. But then his positive attitude came back. "Why would they think that? You have wonderful ideas and you certainly don't force anything on anybody."

Elsa completely pulled away from Olaf. "You have to remember, Olaf, that many of the instructors don't like me, so they will automatically think poorly of me."

"Elsa, you just have to find the opportune moment to prove yourself not just to the other instructors, but also to the rest of the academy, including yourself. Olaf paused to think for a moment. "Ooh! I know! You could prove your leadership skills when we have the mid-year winter survival obstacle course."

"I don't know, Olaf…What if I can't pull it off?"

"You can and you will. I just know it."

"Let's just hope for both of our sakes that you're right."

"That's the spirit, Elsa! Just think about what you would do."

"Okay."

"Okay. I have to go now. Bye!"

"See you later, Olaf."

Olaf gave Elsa a warm wave and smile goodbye just as he disappeared through the library's door frame.

Elsa was pacing back and forth in the space where she normally stood, feeling like a ball of nervous energy. She occasionally rolled up and unrolled her long sleeves and always stopping herself from rolling up her sleeve past her left wrist, making sure not too much of the skin was exposed. But since it was Monday, she made a few slip-ups and showed some black lines on her left forearm. However, she stopped pacing and fixed her sleeves just a few minutes before Anna arrived as per usual.

Elsa looked over at Anna and, when she did, Anna smiled at her. Elsa couldn't tell if the smile was polite or sincere, but she took comfort from it nonetheless and thus felt less nervous about the announcement she would have to give to her class. Soon she eased up a bit and went into her usual cool and collective military stance. Despite the brave show, Anna could tell something was bothering Miss Arendelle.

"Is everything alright, Miss Arendelle?"

"I'm fine, Miss Andersen," Elsa automatically replied.

"Are you sure," Anna gently pried.

Elsa took a moment to consider her response. On the one hand, she could just lie to her student so she didn't have to worry her. But on the other hand, she could tell the truth and unload some worries onto a student like Anna who actually cared to hear about anybody's troubles. Yet there was the issue of appearing professional in front of a student. Then again, she also could improve people's opinion of her at the academy if she opened up to even just one of her students. (Or more if she felt bold.) Elsa decided to risk telling Anna the truth.

"Actually, no. I'm not fine."

"How come?"

"I—" Elsa suddenly found her voice stuck in her throat.

"Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa could clearly detect the genuine concern in Miss Andersen's sweet voice. That sound alone gave her enough courage and strength to dislodge the invisible chunk that was stuck in her throat.

"I'm nervous."

The confession surprised Anna to some degree; she had always considered Miss Arendelle as calm, cool, and collective, not being the smallest bit nervous. But Anna also took her instructor's word for it and didn't doubt that she could be nervous, even if it was a rarity.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I have to make an announcement about some changes to the school schedule to the class."

"Oh. Really? What kind of changes will be made?"

"You'll find out when I make the announcement to the class."

A small frown made its way onto Anna's face. She kind of was hoping that she could be told the information in advance, but it was apparent Miss Arendelle wanted to keep things fair between all of her students. But Anna was fine with that and cheered up again. Before long, her time alone with Miss Arendelle was disrupted by the presence of her classmates and friends. In the midst of things, Anna tried to see how Miss Arendelle was faring with her internal struggle, but could hardly see her face because Kristoff and Sven blocked her view. Anna decided to give up since she would see her teacher's face once the class got in their roll-call numbers.

Class started with Elsa clearing her throat. "Good day, class."

"Good day, Miss Arendelle."

"Today, I have an important announcement to make. Elder Pabbie had gathered the instructors together to discuss the school schedule and to let you students know about the changes we have made."

Some students were murmuring and whispering to each other, wondering what the changes would entail. Elsa cleared her throat again to get their attention.

"One major change to the school schedule is that we will incorporate new skills and the use of other bows and arrows. We will then use that knowledge for a winter survival obstacle course as a sort of mid-year test. Now, as some of you may have heard from previous students that I have done something of a winter time survival exercise, but this will different. The obstacle course will be an obstacle course that will test the skill and teamwork of each class. Each class will be viewed as a team and each instructor shall be the team leader. I will give you more information about the survival course when the time is drawing near, but for now I want you guys to know what is ahead of us. Because we will have these changes to the curriculum, Elder Pabbie will also take the time to alter the final test at the end of the school year."

Some groans and scoffs were heard through the class, but Elsa got them to stop.

"I apologize for anyone who might have been hoping for the usual test, but Elder Pabbie has decided to make these changes to the school schedule. It's September now, so we should have plenty time to prepare for the mid-year obstacle course but only if we stay on task and work as a team. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Good. Now, I'm sure you're not thrilled at the idea of having a teacher as a team leader, but it is for the best. After all, each team will need an experienced archer who can lead the team to the finish line safely. That is why it is best that each instructor be a team leader. Hopefully by the time the mid-year obstacle course occurs, we'll feel better about being around each other. I plan to start the class early enough, but I won't today. Today and proceeding days I want us to focus on using different tools and learn new skills. Understood, class?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"But let's be clear on something: even if we adhere to this altered school schedule, we will also continue with our original plan of action as before. Do you guys understand?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

"Good. Now, first get your gear and then come follow me to the stables off site. We're going to learn how to shoot arrows while riding horses."

The class generally perked up at the idea of mounted archery and quickly yet orderly got their gear from their storage units and eagerly followed their instructor to the stables where they picked a horse individually—Anna picked a chestnut mare, Hans a black stallion, Kristoff a palomino stallion, and Sven a brown roan mare. When everyone was properly mounted on their stallions and mares, Elsa led the class back to the lake where she had them ride their horses around the lake to shoot at a tree that different from anybody else's tree and continue to shoot at the same tree.

This wasn't just for consistency, but also to make things easier for them to identify their arrows when it came time to collect them. Elsa told her students that they would revisit this exercise and by that time she would have different colored ribbons or strips of fabric for her students to identify their arrows better and be able to shoot at different trees for different angles. But for the time being she would have them shoot at the same tree until all their arrows stuck to the bark. And they all had to do this process five times before they were dismissed.

Fortunately, most of the class finished around the same time and waited for the classmates who only had a short while to go. Once everyone was ready, Elsa led her students back to the stables, where they would dismount and return the horses to their proper stalls before returning to the academy themselves. Yet, like clockwork, Anna stayed behind. But something was different about her choice to stay behind. In recent days, she's been curious to know about her instructor. She figured since it's been about a month, she should make some progress in better understanding Miss Arendelle and maybe help her unwind a little.

She waited for Miss Arendelle to dismount her pure white mare and put her gently into the stall. As she waited she subconsciously stroked the chestnut hair of her mare's nose and gazed at Miss Arendelle, admiring the movement and language of her body. A crooked smile formed upon Anna's lips when she saw the late afternoon sun glisten and sparkle across the silky surface of her instructor's platinum-blonde hair. It was so beautiful in its immaculate French bun, but Anna couldn't help but wonder how much more beautiful her hair would look if she took it down or had it in a braid. Aside from learning about her hair, Anna wanted to better understand Miss Arendelle in general and that's why she stayed behind.

Licking her lips, Anna drew away from the mare and began to follow Miss Arendelle from the stables toward the direction of the Elderwood Academy of Achery.

"Hey, Miss Arendelle! Wait up!"

Elsa stopped at the sound of Miss Andersen's pleading voice. She half turned to see her student jog towards her and stop just two feet away.

"Yes, Miss Andersen?"

"I was wondering about something."

"What is that?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Elsa was completely taken back from the sudden and straightforward question her student asked her. Recovering from the question Elsa simply said in response, "Blue. What about you?"

"My favorite color is green."

Elsa smiled a little at the simple submission.

"What season were you born in?"

"Winter."

"I was born in the summer."

"Hm. Interesting."

"Do you have any major fears?"

Elsa really thought it for a few moments. What she once feared had come true. Her parents are dead and she's virtually alone with the exception of Olaf, Kai, Gerda, and Elders Bulda and Pabbie. And she's already been misjudged and mistreated, so she had no more fears to really have. But…there was one fear she hadn't considered before: she didn't want to die alone. She looked straight into Anna's teal eyes.

"I'm afraid of dying alone."

"Well, I'm sure that's a common fear among many people. Don't you have anything else?"

"No." Then Elsa promptly began to walk away again.

Anna caught up with her and kept pace with her. "Okay. Well, I'm afraid of losing my parents, physically or emotionally. I love them so much I wouldn't know what to do with my life if I lost them."

At such an emotional submission, Elsa's heart sank. She could relate to knowing how Anna felt about her parents because it was something she constantly felt when her own parents were alive. She really did love them and never stopped loving them and that's why she continued to visit their burial ground at the lake when she could.

"You must really love them and they must really you too."

"Yep. Sometimes I miss my mama and papa when I'm at the academy, but…"

Elsa turned her attention toward Anna while keeping up her pace. "But?"

"But I remind myself that they're okay back at home and that I'm okay here at the academy."

"Oh? How come?"

"I have two good friends to keep me company…" Anna blushed a little as she prepared herself for the next thing she would say and looked at Elsa. "And I have you as an instructor. I don't know why, but I feel perfectly comfortable and content with my life at the academy with those simple facts."

Elsa looked ahead as to avoid letting Anna see the faint blush forming on her cheeks. "I'm glad you feel comfortable and content at the academy. That's an important thing to have when you have to live away from your family."

"I know….Hey!"

Elsa whipped her head back towards Anna's, her blush gone. "What?"

"I just thought of something."

"What would that be?"

"What was it like for you to a student at the academy?"

Elsa's face grew dark for a moment. She wanted to avoid talking about that part of her past, but she figured it would better to confront it at some point in her life. Yet she didn't have to confront all of it at once and she didn't feel like saying much right now. Instead, she made a compromise before responding to Anna.

"I don't think you want to know what my life was like as a student at the academy."

"How come? Did I hit a bad nerve? Because if so, I'm sorry, Miss Arendelle. I was only curious how things were back then compared to now."

"No. It's okay. As far as learning material went, we learned pretty much the same stuff as students have been before the new school schedule was put into effect. As far as how I felt as an individual student, I don't think you want to know what happened. And I don't feel like telling you right now."

"That's okay, Miss Arendelle. I can totally understand. I won't press the issue any further."

Elsa gently smiled at Anna. "Thank you."

Anna smiled back. "You're welcome."

From that point on, the two of them fell into easy conversation on safe topics. They talked until they had to part ways before reaching the academy. Each of them gave the other a warm wave and smile goodbye. Anna walked away feeling satisfied with the information she learned about her instructor while Elsa walked away feeling like a small portion of a heavy weight has been lifted off her heart.

TBC…


	12. The Past Revealed

**A/N: Dun-dun-dun…! I'm back in school. Anyway…after settling into—hopefully—my last campus apartment and getting back into my routine at school and after some discussion with my friend, Sharkamire, about some sections in the chapter I've been able to finalize it. Also, as a heads up, I'm taking a Literary Magazine course and I predict I will be kept busier than usual. So, instead of updating between 1 to 2 weeks on average I might be updating the story between 2 to 3 weeks on average. I'm just guessing as I am not fully sure how able I will be to update the story at the usual pace or at a slower pace. I just want you guys to know in case I need to change my updating schedule. And I will make a note of the change if I am certain the updates will come later than previously posted.**

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Later that night Anna was pacing in her room. Ever since she had her conversation with Miss Arendelle, Anna had wondered what happened to her instructor that was so bad that she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe it wasn't any of her business, but Anna was curious about Miss Arendelle's past, especially when it was occupied most of her thoughts when she was with Kristoff and Sven before and during dinner time and they had to ask what was on her mind and she would give them a convincing lie about how she's occasionally spaces out.

During her pacing, Anna stumbled upon a loose floor board. Once she recovered from nearly falling, Anna examined it closely. It appeared to covering something. Anna knelt down and carefully pulled out the object. She found a wooden box, which was rectangular in shape and had a lid on top.

Taking the box over to her desk, she sat down and took off the lid. Inside she found a small journal and three unsealed letters. Anna gulped. She knew these things belonged to the previous student who lived in the room, but couldn't help have the feeling that the belongings had been long forgotten. Out of sheer curiosity Anna picked up the top-most letter from the box (which she would later regret doing), unfolded it, and read.

_30 September 1839_

_Dear Mama and Papa,_

_I miss you two so much. I miss home. I'm having a terrible time here at the academy. I don't fit in and many of my classmates despise me. They're so jealous of my natural talent that they've come to hate and shun me. Please, let me quit the academy and come home. Please, come and get me. I'll find some other way to contribute to the family's lifestyle. Just, please, bring me home. It's the only place I know of love and support. I want to come home._

_Sincerely, _

_Your daughter, Elsa _

Anna's heart was struck with grief and empathy for her instructor particularly for her past self. Not only did the words hurt her heart as she read, but she also noticed the small splotches of tear drops that dried and ruined the parchment. She had no idea that her teacher suffered so much as a student. But now she understood why she wanted to avoid the topic earlier because of the unpleasant memories that came with it. Yet what confused Anna was how Elsa Arendelle became a famed archer of Elderwood when she was well hated by her classmates. It made Anna curious to dig through to see if she could find any correlation from the first letter she read to anything that might have changed by then.

As Anna skimmed through the other two much longer letters, all she could get from them was the pain, despair, anguish, self-loathing, bitterness, loneliness, and sadness Elsa Arendelle felt during the –thankfully- short, one year she was at the academy as a student. All of it just made Anna want to give her a teacher a big fat bear hug the next time she saw her, but that would seem strange and probably wouldn't end well if Miss Arendelle knew why she was being so affectionate towards her. But she, in the first time in her life, wanted to reprimand those who made Elsa Arendelle go through so much emotional turmoil. She was just so appalled by how crude and judgmental her teacher's classmates were to her. True that she found some hints of how Elsa Arendelle became a famed archer in the academy through the letters, but that didn't mean she was a popular person. She was _far _from it, farther than a two hundred yard target.

Not trusting herself to be able to control the storm of emotions raging inside of her, Anna had set down the letters staring into blank space. Red flashed over her eyes yet, at the same time, her heart would beat as if she was having a panic attack and felt sick to her stomach. She felt confused and her cheeks and forehead were warm. Anna had to distance herself from the letters and stumbled to her bed, flopping down on her stomach and burying her face into her pillow. Everything was just so scary and she felt as though all her mixed emotions just crashed into her at lightning speed, rendering her completely exhausted.

Taking a few deep breaths, Anna was able to stabilize her breathing and helped calm her heart rate a little. A few more calming breaths allowed her to get back in control of her emotions. Almost all of them dissipated except for the empathy that she still had for her instructor. And new emotion surfaced once the storm calmed—concern. How could Anna be at ease with her life when Miss Arendelle had gone through so much? Then something terrible crossed her mind: what if she still suffers and that she remains a mystery and an outcast to the rest of the academy? Because she's afraid of ridicule and attack? Anna resolved that she would do something to make Miss Arendelle's life a little better. But she had to be careful since she knew how delicate the situation was after she learned something about her past.

Forcing herself to get up from her bed, Anna returned to her desk and, without bothering to look at the journal, put the contents back in the box. Then she proceeded to return the box to where she found it and put the floor board back in its place.

Standing up, Anna entered her WC and splashed water on her face from the sink. She looked into the mirror and saw the reflection of her tired and troubled face. Maybe it was about time she went to bed. She could tackle this new issue later when she's feeling better. Patting her face dry with a washcloth, Anna got ready for bed and went to sleep. Or, at least, attempted to sleep. It took some tossing and turning before Anna's mind finally settled down so it and her body could rest.

TBC…


	13. Bitter And Sweet

**A/N: Hey, guys! So, it appears that it will take me three weeks to make updates. However, I'll try to update sooner if I am able. To catch you guys up on some things…first I was considering discontinuing this story because I was losing motivation from the lack of interest from the readership. But then one of my sisterly love Elsa and Anna stories from my other account got trolled and still is being trolled, so that sparked something in me…and I'm tired of not seeing cheerful and positive stuff go down in the Elsanna fandom, so I decided I'll go back to contributing even if no one pays attention to this story. Plus, I've been busy realizing that the girl I'm rooming with is a bitch and that I have recently got into some sort of rhythm for school work, so…that's why it took me awhile to post this chapter. But I will still appreciate an support that the story may receive.**

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Elsa was feeling better about herself after her conversation with Anna the day before. She never knew what that sharing such a simple conversation could have such a profound and strong impact on her character and outlook of the world. But she was glad to have that conversation with Anna; it lifted a weight off her shoulders and brought some life back into her body. She was in such a good mood that she gave her class a workout that was challenging, fun, and helpful all at once.

During the exercises, though, she couldn't help but notice how distracted Anna was. No matter how she tried to help Anna focus at the task at hand—whether it be running or shooting at targets—a troubled expression always came back on her student's usually vibrant face. It was obvious to Elsa that something was bothering Anna, so she resolved to take her aside after class to help her tackle the issue.

When Elsa dismissed the class, she saw how Anna walked. It was as if she was a living corpse. Even her friends, Kristoff and Sven, were trying to get her attention. Taking a deep breath, Elsa approached the trio with tact and halted just behind Anna. Placing a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder, she addressed the blonde and brown haired young men.

"Why don't you two return to your rooms? I'll talk to Miss Andersen."

Not knowing what else to do Kristoff and Sven nodded in compliance to Miss Arendelle's words and left.

Anna, knowing what had transpired, remained silent and refused to look over toward her instructor. Bringing herself around, Elsa faced Anna and lifted her face from her chin with a delicate finger. Anna had to look up, but she chose to look over one of Elsa's shoulders.

"Miss Andersen," came Elsa's curt yet understanding voice. "What is troubling you?"

Anna found the courage to look at her instructor and in that instance Elsa had dropped her hand from her student's face. Anna took in a calming breath and then looked straight into Elsa's. "You."

"Pardon me?"

Becoming more aware of herself, Anna's eyes widened in embarrassment and she made quick work to amend her statement.

"I mean bot you as a person exactly! I meant to say…um…" At this bit her lower lip and turned her head to the left. "Um…I, uh—"

"You what, Miss Andersen?"

"I found some letters in my room."

"What letters?"

Anna cringed. It was now or never. She turned to face Miss Arendelle head on. "Your letters."

It was then that Elsa realized what Anna meant. She grew silent and an ominous aura surrounded her.

Anna was quick to add, "I didn't know they were yours until I saw your name at the bottom of the first letter I read. I'm sorry, but I was curious and I read the other two letters. But, I swear, I didn't even read your diary. I just read the letter and that's all. I thought you should know and that I'm really sorry for reading the letters."

Elsa's head was crestfallen and her fists shook with compact frustration.

Anna teetered a little on her heels. "Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa gritted her teeth. She was trying her best not to get too angry at Anna, but she struggled with her rising temper.

Anna leaned in closer to Elsa. "Miss Arendelle, could you please say something?"

Whipping her head up toward Anna, she bared her teeth at her as tears glistened and began to fill her eyes. "Go away!" She shook her fists at Anna. "Go away and never return to my class, Number 13!" With an angry sigh, Elsa finished with "Now, get out of my sight."

All Anna could see in Elsa's eyes was hatred. All she heard from her voice was hatred. All she could feel from her teacher was hatred.

Her heart broke. Her body shivered and tears fell from her face without shame or care. Not being to stand the tension, Anna dropped her head and ran back to the academy, pushing past the stone cold shoulder of her instructor.

* * *

Slamming the door behind her, Anna hurled herself onto her bed and dug her tear stained face into her pillow. Hiccupping with a great amount of sorrow, Anna mumbled a series of "I'm sorry's," like a chant of grief-stricken and apologetic souls, constantly asking for forgiveness they never receive. Soon, though, Anna had cried herself to sleep.

An hour or so later a knock was heard at the door. Opening one weak eye, Anna wheezed. "Leave me alone…"

The voice that came from the other side was Kristoff's. "Anna, do you want something to eat? Sven and I have been waiting for you."

"No, Kristoff…Just leave me be and have your dinner."

"Anna, do you want me to come in?"

"No…I just want to be left alone right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now, please leave me alone. I want to rest."

"Okay. But if you change your mind you know where to find us."

"Thanks Kristoff. I just need to rest."

"Okay…We'll talk to you later. Feel better."

Anna turned on her back and groaned. And just like that she heard the receding footsteps of her friend. Closing her eyes once more Anna fell asleep. Her dream left her in a fitful sleep as it was an intensified recreation of Miss Arendelle yelling at her. Yet she woke before she ran away in her dream at the sound of a door-knock.

Growling and not knowing how much time had passed, Anna jumped off her bed and made her way to open the door. But when she did open it she saw no one in sight. It was just blank space. Looking down Anna noticed a basket of dark chocolate cupcakes and a note attached. Curious, Anna picked it up and brought it in making sure to lock the door behind her.

Setting the basket down at her desk, Anna examined the contents as best as she could. It appeared that whoever left her the basket made a baker's dozen of cupcakes. Anna blinked away some tears. "Cupcakes? Who would ever—"

Cutting herself off, she looked over at the note from the opposite side of the perfectly woven wicker basket to see if she could find out who left it and see if was left at her door on accident. Anna discovered that the note, written in impeccable cursive, was addressed to her. Anna turned over the note and saw no signature. However, she did see a simple message and read it aloud to herself. "I hope these cupcakes make you feel better. I also hope you have room for one tonight. But try not to have more than one a day. They are quite rich and are to die for." Anna looked back at the baker's dozen of chocolate cupcakes. "Huh. Whoever this person is, they certainly think highly of their baking skills."

Undoing the white tulle and red ribbon, Anna picked up the closest cupcake an examined it releasing a doubtful scoff. "I mean, seriously! Aside from professional bakers, who else could be so confident in saying their cupcakes are to die for?" Then it occurred to Anna that she missed out on dinner and she was hungry so she decided she may as well try a cupcake.

Looking at it the cupcake seemed fairly standard with its chocolate frosting on top. Anna took a bite and she was undone. She was glad that she could have sat down in her because she would have otherwise fallen down with the cupcake safe from coming into impact with the floor. The cupcake wasn't any other chocolate cupcake. It had milk and dark chocolate in it. The frosting was perfectly proportioned and sweet and the chocolate ganache just exploded with deliciousness in Anna's mouth and was well accompanied with the soft chocolate baked dough adding a nice and moist texture to it all. It was all that took to make Anna moan in pleasure as she sat down and let the sensation and taste of the chocolate cupcake envelope in her mouth. "Oh, Gods...This person was right! This cupcake is so rich and is to die for! Whoever they are, they are my guardian angel."'

Anna couldn't stop the giant smile from forming on her face and went on to take another bite of the cupcake and so on and so forth until it was all gone. After finishing her first cupcake, Anna was busy licking the remains of the cupcake off her fingers and thumb. Looking back at the basket and licking her lips, Anna was tempted to have another cupcake, but remembered the piece of advice written on the note and tried her best to resist the urge to have another cupcake. Just as she was struggling to not eat another delicious cupcake, a knock was heard from her door.

Anna looked over at her door. Who could possibly be knocking at her door and whey were so many people coming to talk to her late at night? Whatever the case, Anna felt it was best to answer the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Mr. Vinter standing at her door.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mr. Vinter. I was wondering how you were doing because I heard of the confrontation you had with Miss Arendelle. So, how are you?"

"Oh…You heard that?"

"Yes. Miss Arendelle told me about it after she had time to cool down."

"What did she say about me?"

"Not much. She wants to communicate with you but still is an emotional wreck, so she requested that I relay a message to you at this point."

"And what would that be?"

"Miss Arendelle wants to have a proper conversation with you tomorrow after class. And you're still in the class, so come to the usual spot tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay…Anything else?"

"She says that since this conversation may take a while she might dismiss the class earlier than usual as to not cut too much into your time as a student. She also told me that she wants to meet you somewhere outside of the academy's grounds, so you better think of a place you two can go to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

"Is that it?"

'Oh, and Miss Arendelle feels bad for her rash behavior. She hopes to make amends with you tomorrow when you see each other."

"Okay…"

Olaf then saw the basket of cupcakes on Anna's desk. "I see Miss Arendelle has already sent you her patented "I'm sorry for being mean to you" cupcakes. You know, she specializes in that kind of chocolate cupcake and she always has to outdo herself when it comes to apologizing."

When Olaf looked back at Anna she was stunned speechless. "She has such a guilty conscience sometimes even if it was for something small."

Anna's mouth hung open and remained open for a few lingering seconds until she had the ability to utter sound and words. "Wait, what? What do you mean—"

Olaf quickly waved goodbye to Anna. "Well, goodnight, Miss Andersen. I wish you luck in making amends with Miss Arendelle."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Did you come on your own accord?"

"No. Miss Arendelle requested that I came over to talk to you. She was afraid that if she came to you now, things would get worse instead of being resolved. So instead she has sent me as the first step of extending an olive branch to you. But she would like to talk to you tomorrow after class."

"Okay. That's all I needed to know for now."

"Okay, goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Mr. Vinter."

Mr. Vinter was gone like the wind and Anna left standing still with a hand firmly pressed on the door knob and her mouth hung down low in bewilderment. Some moments passed before, she closed the door and locked it once more. Not caring about posterity's sake, Anna stumbled to her bed and fell on top of it. She reflected the recent events of her day and came to a decision that she had a very interesting day. She just hoped that the next day would involve less drama and stress. Digging her face once more into her pillow, Anna closed her eyes and sleep eventually took her. But this time it was more restful.

TBC…


	14. Tavern Talk

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys. I guess I'll be updating between 2 to 3 weeks for sure. Or I'll at least try to. Anyway, my bitchy roommate has been gone for about two weeks and I should have told you guys sooner that, along with my hectic studying schedule, I will also be training for a Disneyland Run that will occur Friday Nov. 13****th****. So, that will also be a factor as to why I might need to take 2-3 weeks to update the story.** **Additionally, I am incredibly grateful for the support I received after posting chapter 13. I think that, with being free from my roommate and the encourage I have gotten from you guys, I feel better about myself which allows me to be once again motivated to continue this story with a greater purpose. Thank you guys so much for your support and patience. If I ever find extra time to update the story sooner, I will try to do so. For you faithful and new readers, enjoy!**

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The next day Anna warily arrived at the usual meeting spot for class and when she saw Miss Arendelle arrive, she felt her shoulders tense up. They happened to make eye contact and things got awkward between them quickly afterwards. Each of them silently prayed for other students to come over soon to distract them.

For the majority of class, Elsa and Anna avoided each other as much as possible. However, they felt less tense and awkward when they allowed themselves to simply go through the motions of the class schedule and forget their troubles for a little while. But deep within their subconscious they knew they would have to come face-to-face with each other again. And when class was over, the unavoidable fact that they needed to talk loomed over them like gray clouds threatening to turn black and have rain come down onto the unexpecting earth.

Most of the class had left, but being the ever faithful and concerned friends that they were, Kristoff and Sven hung back with Anna. They did not trust Miss Arendelle being around Anna alone since they had their suspicions that the two of them had some sort of fight. But when Anna assured them that things were fine and that they needed to resolve an issue by themselves, Kristoff and Sven obliged and left their redheaded friend alone with their instructor. The moment Elsa and Anna faced each other they turned away from the other's gaze. Anna dug the toe of her right boot into the ground, making a dent in the soil.

Elsa took a step forward. "Miss Andersen."

Anna looked up at Miss Arendelle. "Yes, Miss Arendelle?"

"Where would you like to go to talk about what's been going on between us?"

"Um…" Anna had to think for a moment. If Miss Arendelle didn't want to be near the academy then they would have to find a relatively secluded spot to talk. "How about the lake?"

"No. It may not be part of the main grounds, but it's still under use of the academy."

"Oh…Okay…." Anna thought that maybe they could go somewhere in town. "How about a café?"

"I don't go to many places in town and I would rather go somewhere where I have been before."

"Well, where have you been before?"

"How about we go to the tavern? It should be sufficient for our needs."

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive. I know a table in a corner that is hardly occupied and there aren't many tables nearby either."

"Okay. So…we'll go to the tavern. Correct?"

"Correct."

"But isn't that a bit odd to go to a place like that for what we have in mind?"

"It is, but it's our best option so far. We'll have to make do, Miss Andersen."

"Okay. So…do you want to lead the way?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. Are you coming, Miss Andersen, or are you going to stand there all day?"

Anna blinked and realized she needed to move her feet. She jogged toward Elsa and slowed down when she got close enough. Elsa started to walk toward the tavern as Anna caught up with her. Once they eased into a regular walking pace side-by-side, Elsa started a new conversation.

"So, Miss Andersen, did you like my cupcakes?"

Anna turned her head toward Elsa. "Yes. I had one like what your note advised. I had no idea that you were so skilled in baking. It makes me wonder why you simply didn't switch career paths so you could be a baker."

"Well, I am only good at making a limited amount of baked items and it's more of a hobby than anything else."

"Okay…And I guess you wouldn't be my teacher if you became a baker."

Elsa turned to face Anna. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing that I'm your teacher?"

"It's…Uh…It's a good thing I suppose. I mean, you're certainly not an easy teacher, but you know your stuff, you're talented, very patient with Hans, and you care even if you don't show it very often."

Elsa smirked. "Okay. I guess I'll take that as a compliment. And by the way, Miss Andersen…I'm sorry for being so hard on you and act so rashly toward you. I just was in a sour mood and I'm sorry."

Anna bit her lower lip in contemplation. "It's okay. I forgive you. I can totally understand why you would be upset, so I don't really blame you for how you responded."

"But I'm supposed to be a professional, so I should have acted like a professional."

"You could have, but it's fine. Besides, I'm the one who really needs to be sorry. I invaded your privacy technically speaking."

"Yes. You technically did invade my privacy, but at the same time you technically didn't. You had no way of knowing whose letters you unearthed and you probably had an instinct to return the found items to the proper owner and you could only do that by reading through and finding some indication of who was the owner."

"I guess so…But I'm still really sorry for looking at your stuff, Miss Arendelle."

"It's okay. I forgive you. I know you didn't mean to upset me."

"Oh, good. I'm glad." Anna flashed a toothy smile toward Elsa. "I'm glad we've patched things up between us."

"I'm glad too." Elsa turned her head back to what was in front of her. "But we still need to discuss a few things at the tavern."

"Okay." Anna returned her gaze toward the path ahead of them.

* * *

At the tavern, Elsa and Anna had found the table Elsa had described and had ordered two glasses of pilsner and some nuts to talk over with. Anna took a sip of her beer.

"So, Miss Arendelle, what should we talk about first?"

"What else? We need to talk about the box you found in your room."

"Which also used to be your room."

"Yes."

"How come you left the box under the floor in the first place?"

"I didn't want anybody to know about what I wrote about since I was afraid that if I left my things in plain sight that someone would come in, read my letters and diary and tease and beat me for being "a weakling" and continue to ridicule and hate me."

"Okay…So, um…did you forget to take your box with you?"

Elsa nervously circled her finger along the rim of the pilsner glass. "Sort of. I think I was thinking of taking it with me, but I forgot where I had put it. I think that on some subconscious level, I purposely forgot where my box was so that someone would find it and learn about my plight, preferably someone with authority like one of the instructors or Elder Bulda or even Elder Pabbie. I had never thought another student would find my box, let alone one of my own students. Overtime, I gradually forgot about the box until you found it."

"Do you think it's possible other students found your box, but never bothered to inspect its contents?"

Elsa bit her lip before nervously lifting the glass to her lips and taking a long sip. "I don't think so."

Anna tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"

Placing the glass on the cork coaster, Elsa elaborated. "Because I'm certain that my room hasn't been occupied between the time from when I left it till you came in to occupy it."

At that statement as she was drinking some beer, Anna spluttered out some suds but luckily the droplets didn't travel far. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Anna cleared her throat.

"Are you telling me that I'm the student after you to have inherited that room?"

"Possibly."

"Why? How?"

"Well, it's possible other students occupied the room and found the box but didn't bother looking at it or reporting it, or they simply never found it. It's also possible that the room wasn't needed for a student to stay in."

"So…I possibly am the only student who cared enough to look at the contents of the box and report it?"

"Yes."

"Really? Doesn't anyone care about others anymore?"

"Plenty of people care for others today."

Anna slumped down in her chair, crossed her arms, and looked at the ground mumbling, "Except for you."

"Excuse me? What does that mean?"

Anna righted herself in her chair. "I mean that not many people care about you."

Elsa was taken aback by Anna's bold words. "Oh…well…"

"It's not right. Why should you be the only one to not be cared for? Are you so unpopular that people rather pretend you didn't exist, like you were dead?"

"Well, no, Miss Andersen. It's just…"

"It's just what? It's not like you're Socrates in ancient Athens tried before a court and a jury of 500 to 501 men. You're not ridiculously wise and annoying, but so humble and well-meaning and misunderstood like Socrates was. You…I mean, you are misunderstood and you're wise in your own archery-ish way…But you're not annoying! If anyone should be annoying, it would be me."

Elsa was stalk stiff and unblinking in her chair from shock at Anna's odd selection of words. Then she relaxed instantly and covered a little giggle with her right hand.

Anna, for her part, allowed her words to sink in and then took Miss Arendelle's reaction in account before she sunk back into her chair first with self-annoyance and then her mood shifted to self-embarrassment. Once Elsa calmed down, she looked back at Anna who was munching on nut in a very awkward and embarrassed yet very cute manner.

"Thank you for making me feel better."

Anna stopped munch on her nuts and looked at Elsa with bemusement. "Huh?"

"Thank you for making me feel better about myself."

"Oh. You're welcome…. But I still don't get why people don't care much about you."

"Well, as you know my classmates weren't fond of me because of my skill as an archer. As for the general public, they hardly see me. I'm somewhat of a recluse, so I don't interact with many people on a daily basis. This," Elsa gestured to their surroundings and activity, "is a big social event for me in comparison to my usual routine."

This interested Anna. She leaned forward with her arms folded and her shoulders hunched over them. "Really?"

"Mhmm."

"What's your usual routine like, if I may ask?"

"Well, you see…"

The conversation easily slipped by the two young women, like a glove slipping over a hand like a second skin. Soon time slipped on like the other well-fitted glove. At different points of time during their conversation, Elsa and Anna either laughed behind the rims of their glasses simultaneously at a funny memory or joke, accidentally brushed against the other's finger while reaching for some nuts, or purposely reached over to touch the other's hand as an act consolation. They made greater bounds in learning about and understanding each other. It all seemed to have gone by so fast when Elsa noticed how low the sun was on the horizon outside though.

"Miss Andersen?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa gestured toward the setting sun with her head. "It's getting late. I think we should start heading back to the academy."

"Right. Okay…Um…" Anna looked around at the table until it occurred to her that she needed to finish drinking her pilsner, so she did. It didn't take long for either of them to finish their drinks and get up from the table.

"How should we split the payment?"

Elsa was already on the move toward the bar. She called back over her shoulder. "I'm paying for everything."

Anna's eyes widened. She briskly walked toward Elsa in an honorable attempt to stop her teacher and pay for her own beer. "Miss Arendelle, wait. I can pay for my own drink."

"No. I'm paying for the both of us. It's not a problem at all."

"But I should pay for myself."

"Just accept my offer so we can move on with our lives. Besides, I'm the one who suggested we come here to talk. The least I can do is pay for the drinks."

"Are you trying to apply courting logic into why you're paying for both of us?"

"If that's how you want to put it, then fine. Just let me pay."

"Okay. Fine. You win. Go ahead and pay, you stubborn woman."

Elsa giggled which made Anna blush. "What was that for?"

"You're the first person who's called me a stubborn woman. I know it wasn't intended to be a compliment, but I couldn't help but appreciate it maybe because it makes me feel like you view me as a normal person."

"Um…you're welcome?"

"No. You're welcome. Remember? I'm paying."

Anna's blush grew darker in shade. "Oh…Um."

Elsa fondly smiled at Anna. "Don't worry about it. I was only teasing."

"Okay."

Without another word, Elsa turned her attention to the barkeep and gave him the appropriate amount of money for the drinks. Afterwards, Elsa and Anna were out the door of the tavern. A silence fell over them. It was one that comfortable, but not too comfortable. It was nice, but also a little unsettling. Elsa looked at the horizon again and then looked at Anna.

"Miss Andersen?"

"Yes, Miss Arendelle? What is it?"

"I realized that there still is so much left unsaid and I want it to be said."

"Okay. Where are you going with this?"

"I was wondering if it would be inappropriate for me to ask you to join me for dinner and further discuss some things with you."

"What kind of things?"

"Things that you might need to know about me."

"Oh! Of course I would love to learn more about you, Miss Arendelle. But only if you wanted to tell me certain things about you."

"I have a few in mind that I think I could handle telling you about. What do you say? Do you want a further discussion over dinner?"

"Of course. But where would we go? And what about the academy?"

"We'll go to my home."

"Where is it exactly?"

"You'll see if you come with me."

"Okay."

Elsa and Anna head off in the general direction of the academy.

TBC…


	15. Pain of the Past

**A/N: Woo! I am lucky was able to write this and before midterms too! Anyway, I just wanted to let everybody know how grateful I am of your support. It's pretty cool to have nearly 90 reviews and 180 follows. In addition, I think it's great to have 82 favs. Thanks a lot, guys. I may not always be able to remember to occasionally show my appreciation for your guys' support, but I always notice everything.**

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Two miles northwest of the outer walls of the academy, behind a hill, and near some trees laid Miss Arendelle's home. Its closest real estate neighbor was twenty yards away on its left side and it was a cottage both homely and proper. Anna looked at the whole of the building surprised that she was able to see where her instructor lived and felt honored to be invited for dinner as this showed a great amount of trust and respect that Miss Arendelle held for her.

Elsa took off her boots and placed them on the right side of the door on the porch before unlocking the door before wiping her feet on the door mat and entering her home. Anna placed her boots next to her teacher's before following her example and walking inside. Elsa made her way to the kitchen while Anna had closed the door behind her. Anna looked around at the interior of the cottage; it looked even homier than the outside design suggested.

Warm maroon wallpaper covered the walls of the dining and living room areas. In the dining room area of the cottage was a strong oak table adorned with a white table cloth for the whole surface and two thinner blue table cloths, which ran parallel from each other, for the two pairs of chairs. In the living room part of cottage was a cozy fireplace, a large square maroon and plum rug, and two overstuffed blue chairs.

Anna gravitated toward the living room area and the hearth and looked at was placed on the mantle. A row of five singular candles placed on small, white dishes took the space of the mantel. Anna looked around some more until she stopped to look at a painting of her and Olaf. Anna looked a little closer and saw that Miss Arendelle had a smile on her face, but Anna couldn't tell if it was pained or genuine. But she didn't have a chance to decide when her nose was tackled suddenly by the influential smell of food cooking. Anna's nose led her back to the open doorway of the kitchen. She took a greedy sniff of something wonderful whirling around in the air.

"What are you making?"

Elsa barely glanced at Anna as she stirred her favorite wooden spoon in the pot. "Creamy halibut and shellfish soup."

Anna smiled. "Well, it smells just heavenly. I bet it tastes great too."

Elsa looked more fully at Anna. "I would hope so. I've made it plenty of times to know what flavor combinations work best or not."

Anna good-naturedly chuckled. "Well, if you're as good of a cook as you are a baker, then I don't doubt your soup will be delicious."

Elsa turned her attention back on the soup as she could feel warmth spread across her cheeks. "Thank you."

Anna gently smiled to herself then she crossed her arms. "How long will it be?"

"Not much longer. Do you mind doing me a favor though?"

"What is it?"

"Across your way is the pantry. Find a half loaf of bread and cut it up, would you? Knives can be found in the drawer next to the pantry attached to the counter. And on the right of that drawer is where you'll find a cutting board."

Anna made quick work following Elsa's instructions and was careful in cutting the bread. "Miss Arendelle?"

"Yes, Miss Andersen?"

"Where did you get the bread?"

"I made it."

"Really? Do you make all of your food?"

Elsa paused her stirring and looked out the kitchen window that overlooked the hill in front a yard away. "Well, I have to buy my fish since I don't know how to fish and I buy other things to produce or stock up other food items."

"So, do you buy a substantial amount of food?"

Elsa looked back down at the soup and continued to stir for the sake of her keeping her attention anywhere but toward Anna. "I suppose I do. If I didn't have a need to buy groceries every once and a while I would have been even more withdrawn from the world than I am now."

Anna hummed in response. When she was done cutting the bread she realized she didn't know where to find a basket for the slices. "Miss Arendelle, I'm done cutting the bread."

"Okay. I'll be over soon."

Anna turned around and saw that Miss Arendelle already was on her way and held a basket in her arms. She efficiently placed the slices in the clothed basket and brought it over to the table's center. She pulled out butter, two bowls, two napkins, and two spoons automatically and magically from places in her kitchen Anna was not familiar with. Elsa had set down the butter spoons and napkins on the table and had the bowls on the kitchen counter. She called Anna over to grab a bowl and ladle some soup in the dish.

Once they were seated with bowls full of fish and creamy broth, Elsa and Anna sat together and enjoyed the first bite of soup together. As an affect, Anna thanked Elsa for inviting her over for dinner and making the soup. Elsa replied with the proper response. For the rest of dinner, the two of them exchanged pleasantries and shared simple stories. When they had their fill of soup, Elsa cleared her throat. It was time to tell her student some crucial facts about her life.

"So, as I have said, I wanted to tell you some things about myself."

"Like what?"

"Well, I think I will start off as to why I remain here in this cottage and not living in the academy."

"Actually, that would be very helpful to know why. Why do you live alone?"

"It's because of my unpopularity with other instructors. Their negative image of me really has been passed down from groups of people starting with my former class mates. It's like a snowball rolling down a hill—it starts out small and rapidly gets bigger and bigger. For that reason and to avoid conflict, I was given my own space here in this cottage. I also prefer the privacy anyway."

"Oh. Would it have been strange to live with your parents if you needed space from your peers as an instructor?"

Elsa barely shifted in her chair, but Anna could detect her uneasiness. "I'm sorry. That's probably too personal of a question to ask of you."

Elsa straightened out her back against the chair. "No. It's alright. I need to let you know the main reasons I stay away from so many people. Besides, I should try to reach out to someone else other than Mr. Vinter."

"Okay. If you're sure, Miss Arendelle."

"I'm sure." Elsa took a deep breathe. "Now, as for my parents….they're dead."

Anna's jaw unhinged from its closed position. She squeaked, "What?"

With a more calm air, Elsa repeated herself, "My parents are dead."

"For how long?"

"Two years. I was an instructor at 16 after I graduated from the academy, so was I living with my parents by then until their deaths."

"Is this cottage your parents'?"

"Well, it's mine now but the foundation of the building is the same. Elder Pabbie was considering helping me find a different place to live, but I had ultimately decided to stay here since it was close enough to the academy so I could leisurely walk to our class location, but remained far enough so that people can't bother me that much. I redecorated the place as a way to move on from the past. I kept some of the old decorations like the living room wallpaper and I left the bedrooms unchanged. But I did change the kitchen a little bit and I brought this table and these chairs for the dining room area and I brought in the blue chairs for the fireplace area. So, in a way, I have kept some things the same and changed other things."

"Oh…" Anna couldn't make herself to keep eye contact with her instructor; she was afraid that if she kept looking at Miss Arendelle's solemn eyes she herself would be moved with sympathy and feel compelled to cry. Instead, she looked at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents, Miss Arendelle."

"It's alright. It's not your fault that they died. I suspect that Mr. Weselton had a hand in their death though."

This piece of information caused Anna's head and eyebrows to spring up in curiosity. "Really? What makes you think that?"

Elsa cleared her throat from an upcoming cough. "Well, for beginners, like most other instructors, I suspected he was jealous of my talent and skill. He probably also was jealous of my parents."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents were highly exceptional archers. Before Elderwood was brought into peacetime, my parents, as newly instated members of the Order of the Arrow, were favored by many while Mr. Weselton was an older member of the Order who didn't seem to catch anyone's attention like her used to when my parents took his spotlight. Anyway, people from the town and with the Order heavily depended on my parents as key member is the defense force when Elderwood was under attack from outside forces. They defended the town well and were one of the main reasons the attackers were driven away causing Elderwood to be safe once more. They were awarded appropriately for their sacrifice and efforts. Mr. Weselton was not pleased because my parents got most of the glory despite that he didn't do as much as them and they were humbled by the honor and shared it with a special friend who greatly helped them drive away the attackers."

"Oh. Um…Who was this special friend of theirs? Did you know them?"

"We've met once before, but he probably doesn't remember me or he doesn't know what I'm doing now."

"How come? If he helped your parents a lot, wouldn't it make sense that they were good friends?"

"Yes. You're right, Miss Andersen. The three of them were good friends. It's just that they started enjoying peace time and raising their own families. I was twelve when my parents had decided to reconnect with their friend since they felt I was old enough to meet someone outside of our little family and that their friend wasn't so preoccupied raising his wild and rambunctious daughter of nine years."

At the last sentence, Elsa had turned away from Anna feeling embarrassed already from the impending truth that would come out. She hoped she gave enough hints to her student that she didn't have to finish the rest of the story. But it seemed the idea was lost on the redhead's face. Elsa sighed and returned her gaze on her student. "Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"No. Why? Should I know?"

"I would hope so. He raised you and you look a lot like him."

A beat passed before Anna connected the dots and gasped. "You met my father?"

"Yes. I had no idea that one day I would be teaching his daughter archery. Funny how things turn out."

"That would mean that your parents were friends with my father."

"Yes." Elsa folded her arms and hands over the table and leaned in slightly. "Now, to understand why your father didn't know about what I have been doing is because his falling-out with my parents. Or at least that's what I believe what happened. It is possible that he was just busy spending time with you and your mother, but I know, from the stories my parents told me, that even if he was busy he would have written to them, but he stopped a year after I met him."

"Why would my father stop writing to your parents? Why would there a falling-out between the three of them?"

"It probably had to do with the nasty rumor Mr. Weselton spread about them. Now, I don't know the details, but it certainly had put a wedge between my parents and your father. However, my parents' reputation did not suffer with others. It was as if your father was singled out and, without his friendship and support, my parents felt that they basically had nobody to depend on since most everybody else weren't true companions to them; they were just admirers at best. Mr. Weselton thought that would ruin them for sure, but he forgot that they still had me. I was their last sliver of hope and joy in the world. I was their daughter, the very embodiment of their skill and talent as archers. I was their everything and they hoped so much for me to be part of the Order so they we could become closer as a family. That's why I never sent those letter I wrote when I was still in the academy; I didn't want to feel like I would disappoint them for wanting to give up so soon."

With her eyes wide, Anna slumped back in her seat. "Oh…" She ran an uneasy hand through her copper fringe.

Elsa relaxed her position and leaned back a little with her hands in her lap. "Now, you know why I left the letters unsent and put them away in that box."

Anna dropped her arm into her lap and looked up at the platinum-blonde woman who sat across the table from her. She seemed oddly calm for someone pouring out their heart and life story to someone they've only just begun to know. Anna thought she was being so brave confessing these pains of her past to her and to hold up so well. "I'm sorry, Miss Arendelle, for your suffering."

One of Elsa's eyebrows quirked up. "Why are you sorry? You're not the source of my suffering."

"No, but I wish you didn't have to suffer for so long."

"Well, I wouldn't be sorry for my suffering just yet. I still have some more to tell you."

"Like what? What else do you need to say?"

Elsa undid her arm brace and scrunched up her left sleeve. With the dramatic slowness of a theatrical stage curtain being drawn back, Elsa pulled her sleeve up the length of her forearm where an inked arrow with a circle in the middle came into view. "This."

Anna leaned over to look at it. "What am I looking at?"

"It is the tattoo of the Order. Each new member gets this tattoo to signify their membership to the Order. But look closely. What do you see that runs parallel to the arrow?"

Anna did as she was instructed and noticed a nasty scar that marred her instructor's otherwise flawless skin. The scar looked like a gnarled archery bow without its string. Anna scrunched up her face is disgust briefly before looking back at Elsa.

"What happened to your arm?"

Elsa rolled her shoulder before clasping her hands together over the table in a business-like way. "The scar was an attempt to dismember me from the Order."

"What?"

"There are certain things to know about the Order of the Arrow. One of those things is to get a tattoo to show membership and loyalty. Since you can't really remove a tattoo, you need to show a mark of rejection of the tattoo, which is another thing to know about the Order." Elsa briefly gestured back to her scar with her hand. "This is that other thing. If the scar had crossed over some portion of the arrow, then I would have been effectively dismembered from the Order."

"But why? Who would try to dismember you?"

"My guess is Mr. Weselton. I'm already on his list of people he dislikes the most, among them are my late parents. As you could guess, Mr. Weselton, while a good enough instructor and archer now, isn't the most agile or strongest of instructors or member of the Order. I would presume that one night he hired a man to do his dirty work for him since he knew he would not be able to catch me and dismember me himself so he asked for help. Luckily, I was fast enough to dodge many deep cuts across my forearm. The hooded man was only able to slice my skin open just parallel to my tattoo before I took him down and made my escape to take care of my wound."

"So…if you have a cut that ran across your tattoo, it would mean you were excommunicated from the Order?"

"Yes."

"That's horrible! Not only that, but would wholly unfair to you, Miss Arendelle!"

"I know. But I should grateful that I was able to escape such a fate. However, I'm wondering if Mr. Weselton harbors ill-feelings toward me and still me out of the Order. He probably still hates me, but ever since I reported the attempt of my dismemberment to Elder Pabbie, Mr. Weselton hasn't done much since then."

Elsa pushed her sleeve back down and put her arm brace back on. Anna watched with curious fascination as her instructor covered up her scar and tattoo. "Miss Arendelle?"

Once her sleeve was back in place and she folded her hand together again, Elsa looked back her redheaded student. "Hmm?"

"Would you be opposed to the idea of me taking your side?"

"What do you mean?"

"Say if you got attacked and I was within the area and could testify your innocence and defend your reputation, would you being against me coming to your aid?"

Elsa leaned back in her oak chair and carefully considered Anna's words for a moment. "I suppose I wouldn't be against the notion of a student coming to my aid. Why do you ask, Miss Andersen?"

"I was just wondering. I mean, you do seem not be associated with many people so I wasn't sure if you'd want their help unless they were someone you could trust."

"You're right. I'm suspicious of most help offered to me because I think that people who offer to help me, whom I do not know, most likely have other intentions. I would, however, accept help offered to me by people I trust, such as Mr. Vinter, Elder Pabbie, Elder Bulda, Kai, and Gerda. And now, you."

"You trust me enough to accept my help if I offer it to you, Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa's shoulders melted from the heat of comfort and familiarity forming between her and Anna. "Of course I trust you, Miss Andersen."

"Oh, wow." Anna's cheeks became inflamed with humility and embarrassment. "I feel honored that you trust me that much."

A slight pink tint made its way on Elsa's pale cheeks, but only for a brief moment. "You don't need to act so humble. You are a good person, Miss Andersen, so naturally I should be able to trust you."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Of course."

A pause. Anna nervously chewed on her lower lip trying to think of something else to say.

"So, would you like for me to help you do the dishes?"

"That would be nice."

Elsa and Anna made quick work clearing off the table and cleaning up after dinner. Elsa washed the dishes while Anna dried them. They worked in a comfortable rhythm until all the dishes were clean and the leftovers were put away properly. When they were done, Elsa told Anna that she should return to the academy. Anna offered to help Elsa to out the dishes away, but Elsa said she could do it later. Anna conceded in returning to the academy.

Anna opened the door and grabbed her boots. After she had put them back on, she turned to face Elsa, who had followed her to the door.

"Well, I guess I should be heading back now. Thanks for dinner, Miss Arendelle."

"My pleasure, Miss Andersen."

"And I'm glad you opened up to me about your past."

Elsa smirked. "I'm glad too."

"Do you want me to return your box to you?"

"Sure. There's no point in not having my own belongings with me at this point."

"Okay. I'll bring them over some day."

"That would be great."

Anna chewed her lower lip trying to think what else to say to her teacher. However, she couldn't think of anything else she wanted to say at the moment. Instead, she gave Elsa a shy smile and wave. "Well, bye."

"Wait."

"Huh?" Anna dropped her arm and watched as Miss Arendelle approached her. She stopped just a foot away from her. Anna looked up into Elsa's icy blue eyes. Before Anna could react to the proximity between the two of them, she felt her bangs being pushed back and a pair of warm, pale lips brush against her forehead. Then, Elsa pulled back at the appropriate distance between her and Anna.

Locking eyes with her student, Elsa smiled and said, "Travel safely back to the academy and have a good night."

"Thanks." Anna paused for a moment. "I guess I'll see you around the academy, for class and tutoring sessions."

Elsa gave Anna her signature gentle smile. "Of course."

Anna, feeling some butterflies flutter in her stomach, suddenly turned around. She looked over her shoulder and said with a squeaky and flustered voice, "Goodnight, Miss Arendelle!" Then she quickly walked away from the cottage and was made her way back to her room at the academy.

Elsa closed the door after Anna, leaned against the door, and smiled to herself. Tonight was a good night. Her student helped her break down some walls she had built around herself. And she might even add she felt little smitten toward her student.

Pushing herself off the door, Elsa went off the bed with the thought of the cute and sweet redheaded girl, who happened to be one of her students, and her bright smile. She continued to think of Anna as she got underneath the covers and could feel her heart beat at its strongest rhythm, one she hadn't felt for some time—the rhythm of love and affection. She was certain she felt something akin to those emotions for her student, but she wasn't sure to what extent. All Elsa needed to know was that she would sleep easy that night.

TBC…


	16. Concealed Feelings

**A/N: I am so sorry for the late update, you guys. I've been busy with school work since the semester is coming close to an end (only three weeks left after I return from Thanksgiving Break) and that I've gotten distracted with reading the Elsanna comic, "Copper," on DeviantArt by Zero-Kiba. Plus, I've been busy this week with all sorts of family related things since it's Thanksgiving Break. Anyway, I was oddly motivated to go back to writing this story while I was watching a movie called "Gone with the Wind" on the TV. It was super weird how I suddenly felt compelled to write as I watch the main female character be an entertaining bitch and drama queen. In any case, I got the energy I needed to back into the action. Hopefully, the next update won't be as long as a wait as this one was.**

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The next day was another quiet Saturday and Anna found herself in the academy's common room sitting in an overstuffed chair reading her book. After living at the academy for about a month or so, Anna felt almost completely at home. She certainly had some nights where she struggled to fall asleep without the presence of her parents being so nearby, but she had managed to get by. It helped that she made friends with Kristoff and Sven and she was kept busy being Hans' rival and Miss Arendelle's tutee. What also helped to ease her feeling of homesickness was being distracted with her newfound fascination for her instructor and tutor, Miss Arendelle. Ever since last night, she had dreamt about the kiss Miss Arendelle left on her forehead.

While she slept, Anna thought of how Miss Arendelle's lips were plump with moisture and warmer than she initially thought that they would be. Anna repeated the memory of Miss Arendelle kissing her forehead until the action went from chaste and platonic to coy and romantic. From that point on, Anna's imagination went wild and she dreamt of Miss Arendelle kissing her cheeks and then her lips. When it got to that point, Anna's conscience had to stop the dream and woke her up in shock. When she calmed herself down, Anna went back to bed determined to have innocent and sweet dreams.

That was last night and Anna was still thinking about what her dream meant. When it seemed futile to interpret her dream, Anna decided to grab her book and head down to the common room to relax and read. She had made that decision after lunch, which was from noon to one, and had been reading for an hour since then. By now, she has taken a break from reading because she couldn't focus on the story before her. All she could be thinking if it would be worthwhile getting to really know Miss Arendelle to a point where they were on a first name basis. She was also thinking of the moral ambiguities of her pursuing a romantic relationship with her instructor. Not only would it be scandalous to be in a romantic relationship with another woman, but also to be in a relationship with her teacher as well. But Anna wasn't sure if the student-teacher relationship should be much of an issue since they were in age. But Miss Arendelle was still her authority regardless how close in age they were.

Anna bit her lower lip. She didn't like how things suddenly got so complicated because of her growing feelings for Miss Arendelle. She had no question why she was developing these certain feelings for the woman; what she questioned is why society had to make things difficult for people who didn't fit into the mold of conventional romantic love. Why should it matter to society if she hooked up with her female archery teacher who happened to be three years older than her? Why should it matter to society who she loved and how she loved them? Anna had let out an indignant snort. She didn't want to care what to care what others thought of her feelings for her teacher, but she would have to care if she wanted to at least have a relationship with someone like Miss Arendelle. She much rather just care about how she felt and how the person she was infatuated with felt. How would Miss Arendelle feel about her…?

Anna's eyes popped wide open and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. What if Miss Arendelle didn't share the same kind of feelings that were boiling up to the surface of her heart? What if things got really awkward between the two of them if Anna said to Miss Arendelle that she had romantic feelings for her? Anna was afraid of those kind of consequences more so than what society would think of her feelings.

And what about her parents? If she told them, would they support her or disown her? Anna didn't want to think she would break their hearts if she came out to them to proclaim her love for her female teacher. She didn't want that to happen; she would want and need her parents' love and support. But then again, she couldn't go through the rest of her life wondering what her feelings for Miss Arendelle really meant.

Anna decided that she would safely explore those feelings by telling no one about them and develop her bond with Miss Arendelle. That way, she could learn about her own feelings about her teacher and maybe learn of her teacher's feelings without asking her right out and making things awkward between them. Anna would only ask Miss Arendelle if she felt she had to ask to know for sure if she suspected that Miss Arendelle had similar feelings as she did.

All the while thinking of what to do about the workings of her heart, Anna continued to chew her bottom lip and she subconsciously tucked her legs under her chin. And while she was occupied in her own thoughts, Kristoff and Sven came into the common room and happened to find Anna. Kristoff stood in front of her line of sight while Sven stood off to the side.

"Hey, Anna."

Kristoff's voice drifted into Anna's ears and detoured in her ear cannel before drifting upstream to her conscious brain. Her eyes went wide as she broke out of her reverie and snapped her attention up to her two male friends.

"Oh. Hey, guys."

"How are you today?"

Anna lowered her eye lids. "I've been here reading and thinking of stuff."

"Thinking of what kind of stuff?"

"I think I might be infatuated with someone, but I'm not quite sure if I am."

"Oh? What do they look like? How old are they?"

"They're about three years older than me and they have blonde hair."

Kristoff quirked an eyebrow up and gave a cursory glance over at Sven. He grinned at Anna.

"Anything else about him?"

"He's a very talented archer and he doesn't know I've been admiring his skills and looks from time to time."

Thinking that Anna was talking about him, Kristoff briefly blushed. "Oh? Are you friends with him?"

"Sort of. I just started to get to know him."

The blush on Kristoff's face left as fast as it came and he leveled both of his eyebrows high up.

"You just started to know him? Are you sure?"

Anna looked suspiciously at Kristoff. "What do you mean 'are you sure?' Of course I'm sure. I know I just started getting to know him.

Kristoff soon realized his mistake and quickly backtracked. "I mean, are sure you like him? Do you know him enough to like him?"

"Yes. I think I know enough to like him."

"Okay. Prove it. What's his personality is like?"

"His favorite color is blue, his favorite season is winter, his parents are dead, and, even though he keeps to himself, he's quite an interesting, caring, talented, intelligent, and tender person once I got to know him better."

Kristoff crossed his arms. Sven looked warily at him wondering if he should be concerned for his friend's behavior.

"Fine. What's his name?"

Anna chewed her lower lip for a moment as she contemplated a male name for Miss Arendelle. She looked back at Kristoff and saw that he was waiting for her answer, so she quickly made up a name in her head.

"Eliot. His name is Eliot."

"Eliot who?"

Anna pursed her lips and squinted her eyes at Kristoff. "Why do you want to know? Is something the matter, Kristoff?"

Kristoff sensed that maybe Anna didn't want to potentially know if he had feelings for her at that moment in time. He dropped his arms to his sides and decided to play the role of a good friend for now. Maybe if he played his cards right, Anna would lose interest in Eliot and become interested in him instead. He just had be patient and be a good friend to Anna in the meantime.

"Nothing. I was just curious. Maybe you do like this Eliot guy."

Anna bit her lip for the umpteenth time in the last few moments and smiled. Maybe she did actually like Miss Arendelle. At least she was surer of her feelings than she was before. Kristoff and Sven both could see the goofy love-struck smile on Anna's face and the warm blush blooming faster than any flower popping up in the spring. They looked at each other with concern knitted in their eyebrows and glazed over in their eyes. Kristoff was concerned he wouldn't win Anna's heart and Sven was concerned for Kristoff's hopes and dreams of being with Anna shot down so soon. They looked back at Anna.

Kristoff cleared his throat. "So, Anna."

Anna snapped out of her daydream and returned her attention back to her friend. "Yeah, Kristoff?"

"Do you want to join us in a game?"

Anna considered his offer, but then she remembered that she needed to return the box to Miss Arendelle. Maybe she could spend time with her friends after she dropped off the box at Miss Arendelle's cottage. Yes, she could do that; she would do that. She looked up at Kristoff and Sven's hopeful eyes.

"Sorry, guys. I need to take care of an errand first. Maybe we can all play a game together later. Okay?"

"Okay."

Anna gratefully smiled at her friends. "Great. How about after dinner?"

"Sure. We'll have dinner in the dining center and then come here for a game right away."

"Okay. I'll see you guys later then. I probably should get going so I have plenty of time to do the errand."

"Okay, Anna."

In one swift movement, Anna bookmarked her book, got up from her chair and hugged Kristoff to show her thanks. Then, she proceeded to give Sven a hug as well before she began to leave the common room waving goodbye to the two guys.

"Bye, guys!"

Anna was out of sight by the time Kristoff and Sven could say "bye."

Sven turned to Kristoff. "Kristoff, are you still going to try and win Anna's heart? Because it seems to me that she's really into this Eliot guy she's been getting to know."

"No. I'll be patient and hope she loses interest in him, so she can be interested in me. But one thing that concerns me is how she even met the guy. We're the only two people she met since the beginning of the school year."

"Maybe she ran into him one day on the grounds and has decided to meet him once and a while. Maybe that's why we haven't seen her around as much as we used to."

"Maybe, but I feel she's doing something else she doesn't want us to know about."

"Well, if we're lucky, she'll tell us what she's been up to. We'll just have to trust her and if we do that, she'll trust us in turn."

Kristoff raised a disbelieving eyebrow at his best friend. "Are you sure about that, Sven?"

"I'm sure. Now, what do you want to do?"

Kristoff pursed his lips in deep thought. After considering a few options, he decided on an option. "How about cribbage?"

"Sure. Let's find some cards."

* * *

Anna knocked on Miss Arendelle's door three times. No response. Anna tried again, but knocked a little louder and added a curious "Miss Arendelle, are you there?"

A few moments went by before the cottage door opened up. Anna hefted the box in her right arm as she waited to be greeted by her teacher. The platinum blonde woman fashioned a small smile on her face once she saw her student at the door.

"Hello, Miss Andersen. What a pleasant surprise to see you."

"I know I just saw you last night, but I figured that I would give your box back now." Anna then handed over the aforementioned object to the arms of its rightful owner.

Elsa was careful to not let the box fall as she adjusted it in one of her arms. "Thank you for returning the box to me, Miss Andersen."

"No problem, Miss Arendelle. I guess I should get going; I wouldn't want to intrude on your alone time on a quiet Saturday afternoon."

"Well actually, Miss Andersen, if you don't mind I would like for you to stop by for a spell. I mean, you don't have to if you more important things to do than keep your teacher company. I just thought I'd offer to stay for a visit since you travelled all this way to give me my box back."

Anna flushed and bashfully rubbed the back of her neck and she wore a goofy grin on her face. "Well, it wasn't that hard to get here. But if you don't mind my company, I guess I could stay for a little bit."

Elsa widened her smile before she widened the door. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." Anna took off her boots and left them next to Miss Arendelle's boots on the porch before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

TBC…


	17. Her Growing Addiction

Elsa gestured to the living room and dining room areas of the cottage toward Anna. "Make yourself comfortable, Miss Andersen. I'm just going to put the box away."

"Thank you," Anna chirped as she took off her boots and stepped past the threshold.

Elsa headed for her bedroom while Anna made herself comfortable in one of the overstuffed, blue chairs near the hearth. When Elsa came back, she joined Anna at the chairs.

"So, Miss Andersen, how did you sleep last night?"

"Fine, thank you. How did you sleep last night?"

An appreciative smile found its way onto Elsa's face. "I slept very well last night. Thank you for asking."

Anna smiled. "You're welcome and I'm glad you slept well.—Do you have any plans today?"

Elsa innocently tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I was wondering if you have anything major to take care of. You know, if you have an agenda and need to be somewhere or doing something at a certain time. I just want to know so I don't cut into much of your time."

Elsa lightly chuckled behind an elegantly raised hand. "Oh, no. I don't have plans of that sort if that's what you're worried about, Miss Andersen."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure."

"Thank you. That was very considerate of you, Miss Andersen."

"You're welcome, Miss Arendelle. Did you have anything in mind that you wanted to do before I came over?"

"Not really. I'm kind of glad you came over because I was just thinking about what to do for the rest of the afternoon before dinner time."

Anna nibbled at her bottom lip. "Would it be okay if we did something together?"

Elsa smiled. "That's fine. What do you think we should do?"

Shrugging her shoulders Anna said, "I don't know. What would be something for you to do?"

"We could share our childhood memories."

"Are you sure about that? I know you said quite a bit yesterday, but I thought you'd want a break."

"Hmm…Maybe we could hold off talking about that for now…How about we play a game?"

Anna was tempted to say "yes," but then she remembered her promise to play a game with Kristoff and Sven and she wouldn't feel right wasting time playing a game without them while they waited for her return from her errand.

"Sorry. Maybe next time; I promised my friends that I would play a game with them after dinner since I told them I had to run an errand, which I already did by giving you the box."

"Hm. You mean Mr. Bjorgman and Mr. Jorgensen?"

"Yep. Kristoff and Sven."

"Are they the only friends that you have, Miss Andersen?"

"Pretty much…unless you won't find it too presumptuous or odd if I considered you one of my friends, would you?"

"I suppose not, but I don't think we're close enough to call each other 'friend.'"

"But I think we're getting close to doing just that, don't you think, Miss Arendelle?"

"I would think so."

"Maybe if we opened up a little more we could easily become friends."

"If we were to do that, how would we start?"

"I don't know about you, Miss Arendelle, but I feel too formal when I call you by your surname. Couldn't call each other by our given names when we're not acting like student and teacher? I mean, I understand if you're not comfortable to do that; I'm just saying that could be an option we have to become closer than simple companions."

Elsa nibbled on her lower lip for a little while thinking of the consequences of being on a first name basis with Anna. She glanced over at the redhead and noticed a patient and understanding smile plastered on her bright face. "Alright."

Anna leaned in close trying to comprehend what Miss Arendelle said. "Alright, what?"

"We could give it a try," Elsa offered.

Anna leaned forward with great interest in what Elsa was saying. "You mean calling each other by our given names?"

"Precisely."

Titling her head to side, Anna had to make sure Elsa was ready for such a step in their growing relationship as friends and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Are you sure?"

"Yes. I would feel much more relaxed if we said each other's first names while we socialize as two normal people, and not as student and teacher."

"Okay. How should we start?"

"I guess I'll let you start first."

"Okay." Elsa stopped nibbling and sucked in a puff of air. She was about to say something, but then her mouth failed on her.

Anna gave Elsa an encouraging smile. "Just calm down, Miss Arendelle. You can do it. Just say my name. Ah-na. Ah-na."

Elsa moistened her lips before saying "Anna."

Anna's smile widened with joy. "That's great, Miss Arendelle. You said my name! Wow. My name sounds great coming from your voice….I mean, it's really good that we made this first step…I mean, ugh!...I need to stop talking."

Elsa could hardly stop herself from giggling at Anna's cute rambling. "On the contrary, Anna, it's your turn to say my name."

"Okay." Anna took in a deep breath and mumbled to herself," I can do this. I was born ready." She took pause to look at Elsa in the eye as she mentally prepared herself to say her name.

Putting her hands between her thighs and rocking back and forth in the chair, Anna opened her mouth at first, but then chickened out. "I can't do it."

"Sure you can. I said your name, so you can say my name."

Anna stopped rocking and gulped. She had to have the courage to say a simple name. She counted to three.

"Okay…Elsa."

Elsa had a warm and proud smile on her face. "You did it, Anna."

Anna chuckled. She felt a little silly feeling apprehension in saying her instructor's name when they're not in class. "Yeah, I did. I did it, Elsa. We're closer to each other now, I think."

"How does it feel?"

Anna was pensive for a moment. "I guess it feels really weird, but in a really good way. How about you?"

"I feel relieved, actually. I was apprehension before at the idea, but once I said your name, it's like a weight was lifted off my chest, like I could breathe and just relax."

"That's good. I'm glad you feel so relieved. What should we do next, Elsa?"

"Well, we could talk about the upcoming schedule, but I don't think you'll be very interested to hear about that sort of stuff until I make the announcements in class."

"I actually wouldn't mind knowing ahead of time of what you have planned for the class, but I think we should do that a little later before I have to go. How about something fun that we could do or talk about?"

"Like what? I don't know what it was socializing with many people around my age."

"Maybe we could shoot some arrows outside."

"We could do that since you have your gear with you. By the way, why is that?"

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "I figured if I had some extra time to kill that I could use that time to practice my archery before meeting my friends in the dining center."

"Very well. Do you want to do some archery?"

"Yes, but we're doing it for fun."

"Fine." Elsa shook her head in amusement and smirked. "We'll do archery for fun. Let me grab my equipment and we'll be off. I know a place we can go that isn't too far from my cottage."

"Great! I'll wait outside."

Anna was slack jawed when she saw Elsa hit the same tree a hundred feet away with her last arrow, and the same spot every time.

"How do you do that? How is that after all the challenges we have set out for each other, you beat me?"

Elsa impishly grinned at Anna. "I'm your teacher and a member of the Order for a reason, Anna."

"I know that! I mean, how do you do it? It is just sheer talent or is there a technique to it?"

"Part of it has to do with technique and another part is about the right timing. Do you want me to show you?"

"Sure."

Elsa carefully had set her bow down on the ground before placing herself behind Anna and put her hands on her shoulders. "Ready yourself."

Anna nodded in understanding and then silently got into her stance. Elsa slightly adjusted Anna's hand on the bow and told her to hold it there. Then, she had Anna wait for a certain amount of time and then had her release her arrow. It hit a nearby tree dead on. Elsa told Anna to repeat the process until all her arrows were stacked against each other just like Elsa's arrows were.

Elsa smiled with pride filling her heart. She gently patted Anna on the back. "Good job, Anna. You're certainly a quick learner when given the opportunity."

Anna turned to face Elsa. "Yeah, well, I do have some help from an elite archer who also happens to be a good teacher."

Elsa smirked and rolled her eyes in amusement. "I'm so glad you think I'm a good teacher."

"But you are, Miss Arendelle! Oops! I mean, Elsa. You're a really good teacher even if you're not the easiest. But, hey, you're not unreasonable either. You give your students what I would like to call 'tough love.'"

Elsa straightened out her head and crossed her arms. "Tough love?"

"Yep. Strict discipline meets tender attention and care."

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad. At least I'm not described as a tyrant."

"I know. That would be a totally unfair and untrue comparison to your character as a teacher, Elsa."

Elsa smirked at Anna's comment and dropped her arms to her side just as she began to head over to the trees a hundred feet away to retrieve the arrows. Anna instinctively followed her behind. They fell in a comfortable silence as they pulled the arrows out one by one and as they returned them to the quivers. When Elsa was picking up her bow, Anna noticed how at ease her teacher was. It was still hard seeing her as more than just a teacher, but she would eventually get comfortable of seeing Elsa as Elsa outside of class and seeing her as Miss Arendelle during class.

"So, Elsa, what should we do now?"

Elsa peeked over at the horizon and saw that the sun was setting. She turned toward Anna. "I think we should head back. It's getting late."

Anna was surprised on how much time had passed by and once the revelation had set in, she was disappointed she had to cut her time with Elsa short. "Oh."

Elsa noticed the drop in Anna's otherwise chirpy voice and seemed a bit concerned for the younger woman. "Anna, are you okay?"

Anna realized that maybe she sounded a little too disappointed and didn't want to concern Elsa. "I'm okay. I just had realized how much time had passed by."

"I know what you mean, Anna. It seems time goes by way too fast when you're having fun or you're busy with work, but it also could drag on forever if you wait for something to happen."

"I agree." Anna hefted her quiver and bow over her right shoulder. "I think we should get going then."

"We should."

Elsa was walking towards Anna's direction when Anna suddenly thought of something which would make Elsa halt in her tracks.

Anna turned to face Elsa and had genuine curiosity and hope etched in her freckled face. "Will we do this again?"

Elsa looked at Anna strangely. She wasn't sure what Anna was referring to. "What?"

"Hang out like this."

"You mean like today?"

"Yes. What if we made an arrangement where we hang out every Saturday or every other Saturday? You know, just the two of use shooting the breeze…both figuratively and literally. What do you think, Elsa?"

"I guess it sounds like a good idea. How about every other Saturday just so we don't feel obligated to see each other every Saturday that passes us by? Besides, we'll still see each other in class."

"Yes, but you'll be my teacher and I'll be your student while we're in class, Elsa."

"True, but you'll still be seeing me."

Anna pouted at how difficult it was for her to make her point across with Elsa. "But it's not the same. I won't be seeing you the person. I'll be seeing you the teacher."

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "I doubt you'll mind if you don't see me as much. Don't you realize that if we agree to this arrangement you'll be seeing more of me?"

"I don't mind. Besides, the same will go for you of seeing more of me."

"I don't mind either, Anna."

"Fine. Then, it's settled. We'll see each other every other Saturday afternoon from now on."

"Fine by me."

"Great! I guess I should head back to the academy, Elsa. See you in class on Monday!"

"Okay. See you then, Anna."

Anna turned on her heels and started to head to the academy. It wasn't until she forgot something did she turn around to Elsa, who was walking behind her.

"Wait."

Elsa raised her eyebrows in wonder. "What?"

"I forgot something."

Elsa was confused for a moment trying to figure out what Anna possibly forgot. "What is it?"

"This."

Anna carefully approached Elsa and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. Elsa was stock still from the shock at first, but then she relaxed and reciprocated the embrace. The two women comfortably pressed their warm bodies together, feeling each other's curves effortlessly fit together, for a few blissful seconds before pulling away. With hands on each other's shoulders and smiles on their faces, Elsa and Anna pulled each other in one more hug before pulling apart completely and saying goodbye.

When Anna returned to the academy, she just had enough time to drop off her things in her room before heading down to the dining center to meet up with Kristoff and Sven. As soon as she got there, they both hugged her. And while their hug was warm and inviting, Anna couldn't stop thinking of the hug she shared with Elsa. She wasn't sure what Elsa picked up from their hug, but Anna definitely noticed the warm feeling that radiated in her heart as she felt their breasts press against each other and how their arms were snuggly wrapped each other's curves. Anna could guess that Elsa didn't read too much into the hug as nothing more than an innocent sign of affection between two would-be friends, but the redhead couldn't wait to share another hug with the platinum blonde beauty that just happened to be her archery instructor. It certainly would be nice to hold Elsa a little longer and maybe even let a hand drift to a more intimate position on her teacher's body, but not until they were both comfortable with it, of course.

Yet dinner proved to be a good distraction for Anna as she did miss being in the company of her friends, Kristoff and Sven. And when they traversed to the common room to play a game of Cribbage (which Sven won), Anna seemed perfectly content just living in the moment with her friends.

It wasn't until Anna was getting ready for bed that her mind wandered back to Elsa Arendelle. Nuzzled under her covers, Anna stared up at the ceiling and envisioned Elsa smiling at her. She grinned back at the fabricated image of Elsa before drifting off to sleep and whispering, "Goodnight, Elsa."

TBC…


	18. Confused and Crossbowed

The next two weeks flew by, signaling the end of September with the days and nights getting cooler and cooler. Anna and Elsa appropriately conducted themselves as student and teacher while in class, but when they saw each other before and after class, they dropped the formalities and treated each other as friends. On their next Saturday together, Anna mentioned to Elsa that she wanted to bake something with her but forgot how to bake, so Elsa retaught Anna how to bake and they made cookies together.

While Anna was away spending time with 'Eliot,' Kristoff became more and more curious as to what the two of them did together since Anna didn't say much on that end. But she did gush about him on occasion, which made Kristoff wonder what was so special about Eliot. Yet he didn't have a whole lot of time pondering about Eliot as Sven made sure Kristoff's focus wasn't always on Anna and Eliot by distracting him with jokes, fun facts, games, and chatting away the hours.

On the following Monday, Elsa had something special planned for her students: she was going to teach them how to use crossbows. She wanted to make sure they learned before they would have to prepare for the winter training and mid-year test. Since October barely begun, she figured it was a good time to introduce her class to crossbows.

As for Anna, Monday met something different for her. For her, it was a day when she wanted to make herself more "presentable" for Elsa, and only Elsa. Since things have been going well between them, Anna figured she could find out if Elsa was attracted to her the way she was to Elsa. That's why she wanted to try and get Elsa's attention. Anna did realize, as she got ready, that she might attract attention from her male classmates, but their stares wouldn't matter to her. All she wanted was Elsa's attention and hoped she could appreciate her breasts, even if they seemed small to Anna herself. Making sure that her breasts felt full enough in her form-fitting tunics, Anna checked the rest of her figure before leaving her room that morning.

It was no surprise to her that some guys gawked at her and simply drooled with a spaced out expression on their faces, but it did nothing for Anna. While she was glad that the tunic had the desired effect she was looking for, she was nervous if Elsa would even like what she saw. Or if she even noticed what Anna had attempted to do in the first place. When she got to the class's roll-call a little earlier than usual, she soon would see if Elsa received her message loud and clear.

Elsa was standing in her usual spot in her go-to military stance when Anna stopped on her number. She waved at Elsa, but the older woman seemed to be in deep thought. Anna then tried to call her name out which got her attention. Elsa blinked back into consciousness and looked over at Anna. The redhead girl gave her a cute wave and Elsa shyly waved back.

"Hello, Anna."

"Hi, Elsa."

Anna rolled her shoulders as to accentuate her breasts. Elsa's eyes immediately focused at Anna's chest as it begged for attention. It was then that she realized that Anna was wearing tunics that were very flattering and nicely framed Anna's modest yet supple breasts. A warm blush painted Elsa's pale cheeks, her throat bobbed, and her lips were suddenly a little dry. Elsa wetted her lips with her tongue as she turned her head away from Anna's gaze.

Anna could feel pride bubble up in her heart when she saw Elsa's reaction. Her pink tongue darted out and ran along the length of her lower lip before she gently tugged at the skin with her teeth while she stared at Elsa with her eyes dark and narrow and a confident grin formed.

"Elsa," Anna husked.

Elsa chanced a glance at Anna and saw the passion and desire right on her face. Elsa gulped. She wanted to turn away again, but she knew she had to face the music and speak with Anna.

"Yes, Anna?"

Cocking her head to the side, Anna's confident smile grew as she spoke. "Do you like what you what you see?"

"See what?"

"You don't have to pretend, Elsa. It's okay to tell me what you really think."

Elsa was afraid of admitting her true feelings for Anna because she was her student and a woman. But then when Elsa looked back into Anna's darkened eyes, she had a feeling she should come with the truth.

"Yes. I like what I see very much."

Apparently Anna beamed at that. Before Elsa could blink again, Anna was just a few feet in front of her with a smile that was both innocent and seductive.

"Does that mean you like me the way a boy and girl like each other?"

"Yes. I do like you like that even though I probably shouldn't."

Anna shrugged. "I don't care. I like you that way, too."

Elsa's breath hitched. How could Anna say such a thing as if it was second-nature to her? How did she know what she felt for Elsa was real? What could possibly see in her? Elsa shook her head in disbelief. Her voice trembled a little as she spoke.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I like you in a romantic way. I know that we're both women and that we're teacher and student and those things are taboo, but if we really want to pursue a relationship then we can make it work. The real concern for me is if you're interested in being in a relationship with me. Do you want to try and being in a relationship with me, Elsa?

"Anna, we shouldn't do this. It's wrong and I don't think it'd work out for us."

"How do you know it won't work out for us if we don't try first?"

"Anna, please…"

Anna lightly touched Elsa's right shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "Just think about it okay? Please, just think about it during class and then you can give me an answer after class."

Elsa wanted to say 'no.' Oh, how her brain wanted her to say 'no,' but her heart was aching for her to say 'yes.' It was trying to convince her that this could be her chance to find true happiness. After all it presented itself right in front of her and yet…and yet she felt she had to be cautious. She chose a compromise.

"I'll try to consider your offer."

Anna's eyebrows shot up in delight. "So, you'll think about it?"

Elsa gave the redhead a meek nod. "Yes. I'll think about it."

"Great!" Then Anna's excitement settled and her face softened. "I guess I'll leave you be during class." Anna bit her lip thinking over her words. Realizing that she might not be able to keep her promise, she corrected herself. "Well, I'll try to not entice you, but I can't make any promises."

Elsa was about to demand that she doesn't look provocative in any possible way, but then Anna saw a figure in the distance and absentmindedly kissed her on the cheek before returning to her spot. Elsa placed a hand on her cheek that Anna kissed and could feel her blood rush in both of them.

After Elsa calmed down enough, she avoided eye contact with Anna until she had to look at her with the rest of the class. When she announced that the class would be practicing with crossbows, the students got a little excited. Even Anna couldn't help not being excited about learning how to use a crossbow, but she contained herself so she could stand out to Miss Arendelle. So, she could impress Elsa, to let her know that she was different from her other students and that she was serious about being in a relationship with her.

Miss Arendelle led the class to get the crossbows from the academy's equipment storage. No one in the class was ever told about the storage, but they guessed that Miss Arendelle must know about other places in the academy as an instructor. They guessed she had to know certain things about the academy that the students don't need to know. Granted, Miss Arendelle didn't lead them to the actual storage unit, but she brought them to a nearby area, which was still new to them. But it wasn't long until they were back out in the fields before they forgot about the equipment storage and were more focused on their exercises.

While at the shooting range that Elsa took her class before, she gave her class all the advice they would need to handle a crossbow before she allowed them to take their first practice shot. The students occasionally took short rests, which Miss Arendelle allowed, so they could get used to the feel of their crossbows. In short, these were one of those days were Miss Arendelle wasn't as hard on her students as she usually was. It wasn't necessary and, besides, she wanted time to think about what would happen if she pursued a relationship with one of her best students (and possibly her _favorite _student), Anna Andersen.

For the most part Anna was very skilled in archery. She just needed a little practice in certain areas and she would be ready to join the Order at the end of the school year. Other than that, she had a great personality—sweet, patient, intelligent, lovable, fun, cute…

Elsa happened to look over at where Anna was shooting and scanned over her body, especially her posterior and breasts. _Maybe Anna was even sexy…Wait! No! _Elsa fervently shook her head. No. She couldn't think of her student like that. She shouldn't consider being in a romantic relationship with Anna Andersen no matter how sure she was she would be happy if she was. She had to be the responsible one and not pursue her student even if it meant that she'd be miserable for the rest of her life. Elsa glanced over at Anna again. She seemed so focused and serious about her archery. The way her eyes narrowed with intense dedication and passion and made Elsa think that she would be a bad influence on Anna if they were involved with each other. But then she looked at Anna's torso and recalled how Anna wanted to look there, how she wanted Elsa to want her. Maybe she could reconsider—

Just then a pair of fingers snapped in front of her. "Miss Arendelle, are you okay?" Elsa blinked and looked at Mr. Bjorgman and Mr. Jorgensen. She stood attention before straightening out her spine and standing as rigid as the first day of school. Her voice carried a certain air of command.

"Yes, gentlemen? What can I do for you?"

"We were just wondering if you were okay, Miss Arendelle. We saw that you seemed to be in deep thought the way you stared into space."

Elsa crossed her arms. "No need to worry, Mr. Bjorgman and Mr. Jorgensen. Thank you for your concern, but everything is fine. Go back to your practicing."

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

Kristoff barely gave Elsa a wave good-bye as he returned to his spot, but Sven lingered and gave her a nervous smile. Elsa acknowledged the gesture and reciprocated with a gentle nod of the head. Sven smiled and then went back to his spot.

Elsa murmured to herself: "Anna has some interesting friends."

By the end of class, most of Miss Arendelle's class got a handle on using their crossbows. Elsa made sure she did another would schedule one more class to use cross bows to make sure all of her class knew how to properly and effectively use a crossbow. As everyone was returning to the academy as a group, Elsa stayed behind to make sure her students got back without delay. As for Anna, she stayed behind so she could talk with Elsa. Since they were still in the presence of other students, Anna had to resist the urge of dropping formalities.

"So, Miss Arendelle, what have you decided on?"

Elsa was shocked when she heard Anna's voice. She had forgotten that she was one of the last students to head back to the academy with the rest of the group. With slightly frayed nerves, she looked over at Anna.

"Oh, Miss Andersen! You scared me."

"I'm sorry, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa gulped. "It's alright. What did you say again?"

Anna folded her hands behind her back. "So, have you thought about my offer?"

"I, uh—" Elsa swallowed and briefly glanced at the group of students in front of them. "Could we disgust this later when no one is around? Besides, I need to guide the class to where the crossbows can be dropped off to be put back in storage."

"Fine. But I want this resolved before the night is through."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"We'll meet in the academy's garden after dinner and talk then," Anna said with strong conviction.

Elsa stopped in her tracks and so did Anna. She stared at her wide-eyed. "The garden?"

"Yes. I hope to see you there at eight, Miss Arendelle."

"But Miss Andersen," Elsa hissed, "I'm not sure what I think."

"We'll figure it out together once we meet in the garden later."

"I guess we could talk things through…"

"That's what I'm saying."

"Fine. I'll see you in the garden at eight." With that, Elsa headed off to the front of the group to lead her students to where the crossbow drop-off would be.

Anna grinned and whispered to herself: "I can't wait until we talk in the garden, Miss Arendelle."

For the rest of the walk back to the academy, Anna admired Miss Arendelle's backside. She particularly liked to appreciate her round and firm rear end. She couldn't help but subconsciously lick her lips in anticipation until she could be with Miss Arendelle, even if she had to be patient with her.

TBC…


	19. Garden Rendezvous

**A/N: Woo! I'm sorry for the delay. I was hoping to get this chapter in sooner, but I had trouble thinking about how I would write out this chapter. Plus, I was dealing with more things than I usually expect to deal with during this time of the year. But I finally got to finish the chapter. ****Anyway, on to the story! :D**

* * *

Anna had just sat down at a table with Kristoff and Sven for dinner when a hand landed on her shoulder. She shrugged it off before looking at the person standing behind her. It was Hans with his stupid smug smile on his stupid face.

"What do you want, Hans?"

"You know, Anna, you look very comely tonight. If you like we can call off our rivalry and you can be my girl."

Anna could feel some bile rise up in the back of her throat. Even if she was interested in guys, she'd rather die than be with Hans. Better yet, she rather be with a good guy, like Kristoff or Sven, than be with a slime ball like Hans. But it wouldn't matter in the end because she would just want to be with Elsa and soon. _**Very soon. **_

After some thought of what Hans had just said, Anna's sentiments morphed from disgust to anger. She found herself wanting to punch the smile off his face instead of puking on his freshly polished boots.

Anna barely held back a snarl. "I'd rather be your rival than be 'your girl,' Hans. Besides, you're not my type." _Elsa is though._

Hans had an ugly and gnarled sneer on his face. "And who is your type?"

_Beautiful, curvy, sexy, sweet, strong, brave, modest, independent, intelligent and witty, shy at times, a great cook and baker, an elite archer…female…_

"My type is someone who is brave and kind, strong and smart, funny, skilled, patient, and definitely modest. My type is your exact opposite, Hans!"

Hans's sneer stayed in place. "You'll regret saying that to me."

Anna scoffed. "I highly doubt it. I just hope you're up to snuff as we continue to rival each other in class."

"Oh don't worry, Anna. I'll make sure I best you in everything we do from now on."

Anna rolled her eyes. _I doubt you'll ever best me in winning Miss Arendelle's heart, at the very least. _"Careful, Hans. You don't want to overdo yourself."

Hans was downright furious. His cheeks were burning, his fists quivered, and his nostrils flared up. Despite this, though, he brought his anger down a notch not wanting to give Anna the satisfaction of seeing him all frazzled like a puffed up cat. He desperately wanted to take a jab back at Anna, but he couldn't think if anything. Instead, he turned on his heels and silently fumed marching away.

Anna grinned to herself. She was proud herself for getting Hans to stop bothering her without their chat ending in a fist fight. Turning back to her friends, Anna saw the slightly shocked expressions on their faces.

"What?"

Kristoff blinked first. "Nothing. It's just that, well—Wow."

"Wow?"

Sven cleared his throat. "I think what Kristoff meant was that he's shocked you told Hans off."

"Huh? I've told him off before. Why is this occasion any different?"

Kristoff came back in allowing Sven to focus on his dinner. "We know, Anna, it's just…it's just that—" This is where the blonde man was at a loss for words and all he could do to finish his thought was to simply shrug.

"What is it, Kristoff?"

Kristoff played around with some of his carrots on his plate before looking back at Anna. "It's just that you so bold with Hans. You kind of put him in his place a little."

Anna was amazed. "I did?" A little chuckle came out. "How?"

"Well, even when someone opposed Hans, he usually had control of the spat. But this time you took control and brought the metaphorical hammer down on him."

"I did?"

"Yes, or you had put the metaphorical foot down."

Anna seemed intrigued in what more Kristoff had to say on the matter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. No one has challenge Hans's authority like before. You're simply one of a kind, Anna."

Anna's cheeks warmed from the compliment. "Aw…Thanks, Kristoff. I'm glad you think that."

Kristoff's cheeks heated up hotter than a bonfire, but he was quick to hide to most of it. "Uh, you're welcome, Anna."

Anna gave Kristoff a friendly punch to the shoulder before returning her attention to her food.

"You're a big softie, Kristoff."

Kristoff snapped out of his love-sick stupor and blushed profusely out of embarrassment. "Hey!"

Both Sven and Anna chuckled at him. While Kristoff tried to convince the two of them that he wasn't a softie, they continued to tease him even if it was only for a little while longer.

For the rest of dinner, Anna enjoyed spending time with Kristoff and Sven. Yet as their dinner time neared the end, Anna mind drifted back to her rendezvous with Elsa in the garden.

_Rendezvous_. Then it just hit Anna. She was going to have a romantic, secret meeting with her archery instructor. Gods. _**That**__ was romantic._ She supposed it was even more so since it was a taboo love. Anna felt giddy. She couldn't wait until she could meet up with Miss Arendelle in the garden at night and possibly come to an agreement to pursue with a relationship and hopefully it was sealed with a kiss. A real kiss, like on the lips.

Anna all but bit her lower lip in anticipation as she tried to shorten the length of dinnertime with her friends without appearing too eager or suspicious of wanting to be elsewhere. However, she would have to humor her friends so they wouldn't be offended by her desire to leave soon by listening to some of their jokes. Once she endured enough jokes, she could make a quick stop to her room to fix herself up and then she'd be on her merry way to the garden.

* * *

Elsa was pacing in front of her usual bench in the academy's garden. She wasn't sure if she should have agreed to meet with Anna in the garden; she wasn't sure what she would say to Anna once she arrived. But one thing was for certain, Elsa would fret herself into an early grave if she didn't stop pacing and take a moment to breathe. And she did.

Elsa looked around the garden and reminded herself why she was there: she needed to talk to Anna about their current situation. Regardless of what their decision would be, Elsa hoped that she would remain calm and rational when talking to Anna. If she ended up putting the redhead down gently, she hoped Anna wouldn't take it too personally. But that is all she could hope for.

Sighing, Elsa strode to her bench and sat down. She needed time to think. And she needed to know how much time she had before Anna might arrive. Looking at her watch, Elsa noticed that she still had ten minutes before it was eight. She had enough time. She could think of something to say to Anna once she came to meet her.

* * *

After she finished dinner with Kristoff and Sven, Anna checked her watch to see how much time she had until she would have to me with Elsa. Twenty minutes. Just enough time.

Anna made a quick journey to her room so she could prepare herself for the rendezvous. She checked herself in the mirror and noticed that she needed to fix her hair. And maybe straighten out her clothes.

When Anna came back to look at herself in the mirror, she was quite satisfied with herself. Her hair was not only re-brushed but also re-braided, and she straightened out her clothes so everything looked nice and presentable. She tested out a winning smile to her reflection and was content on what she saw, feeling confident Elsa would appreciate the effort she had put into for the meeting in the garden. Anna checked her watch again. Ten minutes. She should get going so she would have enough time to find Elsa waiting for her in the garden.

Anna found Elsa standing alone in front of a bench looking tense. This made Anna frown as she propped herself against a tree a yard away simply watching her archery instructor. It saddened Anna that her teacher seemed nervous about the meeting. She could see it in the way she crossed her arms and held her shoulders. But maybe, Anna thought, that Elsa would relax once she knew Anna had come, that she was serious and cared about her. Anna took in a deep, encouraging breathe and exhaled before pushing off the tree and strode over to Elsa like a soldier on a rescue mission.

"Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa turned around and yelped in surprise the moment she saw Anna. "Oh, Anna! It's you."

"Yes. I told you I was going to be here, Elsa. Did I scare you?"

Elsa placed a hand over her pounding heart. "No. You just caught me off guard." As soon as Elsa uttered those words, Anna's concern melted away and so did the anxiety that was building up in her heart. Once it calmed down to a steady beat, Elsa gestured for Anna to sit down at the bench and followed suit herself.

With her hands on her knees, Elsa looked over at the redheaded girl. "Anna, what did you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about our situation."

Elsa could feel her heart lighten from the submission. "I do too."

Anna grinned. "Great. Do you want to speak first then?"

Elsa rubbed her knees. "Maybe I should."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I fear that we've gotten closer than what should be as student and teacher." Elsa gulped_. Now or never_, she said to herself. "I'm afraid that things will get too complicated for us if we continued to strengthen our relationship with each other."

This is where Elsa took a moment to pause and really look at Anna, to gauge her reaction. From what she could see Anna was in deep thought and she looked…well she didn't look too pleased with what she heard, but she remained calm. Elsa was at least glad that Anna hadn't lunged at her and throttle her neck out of anger.

The air was deathly quiet and oppressive. Elsa and Anna barely breathed as they stared at each unsure what to say next and who should speak up.—Anna looked at her watch. While it'd been two minutes, it felt like an eternity. It was time.

Anna composed herself and tried to not sound too upset with Elsa. She had to realize that the blonde meant well and was unsure of herself. But Anna had let Elsa know not be afraid of anything. Her hands gripped her knees like a climber gripped a rope when climbing an arduous, arctic-like mountain, and her forearms shook like invisible tremors.

"Why are you afraid? What's wrong with what we're doing?"

"Anna, if we were truly only pursuing a friendship, I wouldn't be afraid of anything. But we're not pursuing a friendship. I know. I can tell the way you've approached me; I've seen the way you've tried to…persuade me, but we shouldn't go down that path."

Elsa stopped at that moment. She saw how Anna's body visibly shook. She didn't want to put too much emotional stress on the redhead, so she took a moment to give them a break. When Anna appeared to have comparatively stilled from her trembling, Elsa continued but with some hesitance.

"I think it would be unwise for us to pursue a romantic relationship with each other. Not only are we two females, but we're also student and teacher; it would be wrong for us to be romantically involved with one another."

Anna swallowed. Elsa could practically see the cogs in her mind going into overtime. She was anxious to hear what Anna had to say in response.

Anna looked away from Elsa and directed her gaze toward the dirt at her feet. Her voice was low and sad. "Why don't you have any hope, Elsa?"

That certainly surprised Elsa. She drew back and her eyebrows hiked up to her hairline. "What?"

Anna returned her gaze toward Elsa, hard and fierce. "Why don't you have any hope for anything? Didn't you ever hope for something to happen?"

Elsa's voice faltered with her resolve to remain calm. "I did have hope once, Anna. I hoped that my classmates would leave me alone because it would be impossible for me to hope for them to respect me. I once hoped that my students would understand that I care about their education and training and that they'd respect me for it. But I lost hope with each passing year I was met with disappointment, regret, and frustration."

Despite her voice remaining low, a silver lining shone in Anna's teal eyes. "Are you afraid of being hurt and ridiculed even more?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. I don't want to drag you down with me. I don't want to risk tarnishing your image as well. I can handle being an outcast, but I couldn't handle being the cause of you being an outcast, Anna. I couldn't do that to you."

At last, Anna's hands released their death grip on her poor knees and her gaze softened. "Elsa…"

Elsa looked away. "I just don't think it would be fair to either of us if we were involved with each other."

Without thinking Anna reached over and cupped Elsa's cheek farthest from her. With a gentle nudge, Anna had Elsa's head face hers. She kept her hand on the soft, pale cheek and caressed it with her thumb. Elsa nearly leaned into Anna's touch, but she sat still instead.

Lucky for Elsa, Anna's voice came out softer and kinder this time. "What if I told you I would be willing to go down with you?"

"Even so, I wouldn't let you. You have family and friends, Anna. You have a way of life to preserve; I don't. I only have Olaf on occasion and I only need to sustain my life so I can continue to teach and practice archery. I don't have a life full of hope, love, and adventure, but you do."

"But you also have me. I could help you win other people over. If you had more people to care for you, then you'd have a life worth living, a live worth fighting for. If you had that, you'd find happiness and a greater purpose in this world. Let me in, Elsa. Let me be a part of your life."

Elsa brought a hand to her temple and rubbed it. "Anna, even if I was willing to let you help me, I'm not sure it'd be worthwhile."

"What do you mean, Elsa? Are you talking about a long-term relationship?"

"Well, yes, but I'm also thinking about the consequences. If we knew we'd want to be in a long-term relationship together, we could never make our relationship publicly known and if we wanted to we couldn't get married. Think about it, Anna: even if we waited until we were no longer student and teacher, there'd still be the issue of us both being female. The only people allowed to marry are men and women even if we had our friends to support us."

"What if we had support? Would it ease things?"

"Maybe, but I don't know by how much. I just know that Olaf helps a little."

Anna coiled back in surprise. Her eyes were wide. "Wait, what?"

"What?"

"Mr. Vinter knows and supports you?"

Elsa blushed. It had totally slipped her mind that no one else knew of him supporting her taste in women until she just told Anna. Now Anna knew and Elsa didn't know what to think. "Um, yes? I suppose I forgot that Olaf was the only person who knew my…desires."

Anna recovered from the surprising news that Mr. Vinter knew and supported Elsa with her interest in members of the fairer sex. But she did want to understand something.

"How do you know Mr. Vinter supports you?"

Without think much of it, Elsa gave an automatic response. "He has been bugging me find a girl to keep me happy and occupied when he couldn't. He's the one who tried to encourage me to pursue you." Elsa snorted, completely forgetting herself. "He knew you were one of my students, but all he cared is that I was interested in you and that you were of age."

Anna's jaw went slack. Mr. Vinter encourages Elsa? And he bugged her about getting a girl? He almost sounded like an older sister telling her younger sister to herself a man. Or he was the younger sister giving the advice to the older one.

Even though Elsa was facing Anna at the time, the consequences of what she had so blatantly said did not sink in yet. It took her some time to register Anna's slack-jawed expression and remember what she said. Then, she paled in horror. She frantically tried to think of a way to cover up her metaphorical tracks, but it was too late. Anna had heard and there was nothing she could do. Luckily, Elsa didn't have to do anything. Anna closed her mouth and composed herself. When she spoke she brought on a new air of calm about her and it affected Elsa a little bit as well.

"That's interesting to know that Mr. Vinter is so supportive of you.—But I want to get back at the matter at hand." Here Anna took a deep, calming breath before continuing "Elsa, if we had enough support from our friends and if we could wait until we were no longer student and teacher, would you be willing to pursue a long-term relationship with me even if we still had to keep it a secret? Even if we magically got married and lived together, but still kept our love a secret for fear of not being fully accepted by the rest of society, would you be willing to give us a try?"

At this Elsa wasn't sure. It comforted her to know that Anna was willing to commit to a serious relationship and she was willing to the take the risk of being a relationship with her. Yet Elsa couldn't help the nagging feeling that maybe they still would fail. She looked deep into Anna's eyes. They had so much determination and hope in them that Elsa wondered if it was worth a shot.

She sighed in defeat. Maybe she could give them a try. Maybe she and Anna could make a relationship work, but they would need boundaries, so they could lessen the likelihood of being found out.

"I suppose we could try this relationship thing out."

Anna hardly contained herself. She had let out a quiet yet cheerful, "Yes!"

Elsa placed her hand firmly on the redhead's shoulders to keep her still.

"But we need boundaries, Anna. If we plan to make this work at all, we need rules."

Anna nodded her head.

Slipping her hands off the redhead's shoulders, Elsa's relaxed her own.

"Okay. So, what we have so far is pretty good. We continue calling each other by our first names when we're alone and that we see each before and after class. I also think that our Saturday rule is good, but I think we need to set extra guidelines."

"Like what?"

"I think that we shouldn't make it too obvious that we're spending more time than expected, especially on your part. We don't want to leave a pattern so that others might catch on to us. For instance, I shouldn't encourage you to come to my cottage every Wednesday and every other Saturday. Rather, I think, we need variety for each week in a month and so on and so forth."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I think that we set a new pattern for each week. For example, this week we would see each other on Friday. Next week, we see other on Monday and Saturday. The week after that, we'd see each other on a Thursday. Maybe the next month we see each other on set days, like Tuesdays, and depending on the week, we'd also see each other on Saturdays. Maybe the month after that we just do our tutoring session and our every other Saturday meetings. Whatever we choose to do, we don't to make it too obvious to others."

"Oh…Okay. So, you want us to be as discrete as possible by not letting anyone pick up too much on what's going on between us?"

"Correct."

"Well, while I appreciate the thought, I don't think it should be that complicated."

Elsa was curious why Anna didn't think that needed to do what she suggested. "Why is that?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure anyone will notice. People assume you're alone and hidden most of the time when not teaching and as far as my friends know, they think I am having regular dates with a boy named 'Eliot,' which is your alias by the way. If at anything, they probably won't find it strange if I end up spending more time with 'Eliot.' All I have to do is to not neglect Kristoff and Sven for too long and I think we'll be fine."

"I did not know that…My alias is 'Eliot?'"

"Yes. I just wanted you to know, so you wouldn't freak out. But I'll make sure to be careful not only is it important to you, but it's important to me too."

"Okay. I guess we can smooth out some details later since I have your reassurance that we'll be careful when approaching this relationship."

"So, can we stop talking about details about relationship?"

Elsa nodded in affirmative. "Yes. For now, we can stop."

Anna smiled widely. "Great!—Now, what?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I have an idea."

"What?"

Without warning, Anna cupped Elsa's cheeks and leaned in to softly press her lips against the older woman's. Elsa blinked a few times in surprise trying to process what was happening. When he brain was fulling aware of how calm Anna's face was and how her eyes were shut told Elsa that she was so into the kiss. Easing her tension away, Elsa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Anna's neck. Anna's hand slide down and found their way to Elsa's waist.

It felt nice for Elsa to just relax and give into her desires. She never thought that this moment to come. She had hardly started to dream of Anna in a less-than-professional way when this unexpected yet pleasant moment happened. She happily sighed against Anna's warm and soft mouth and titled her head to the side.

For Anna's part, she felt she was in heaven. She had never felt such bliss before. She's kissed before just a few times, but they never really interested her. _It was a big surprise _since she shared those kisses with boys. Not only were their kisses nervous or sloppy and that scenery wasn't appropriate, but Anna had a feeling that she wasn't meant to have a male companion. She didn't know why until she was infatuated with her teacher, Miss Arendelle. Here she had a real woman kiss her back, a woman who was lovely and sensuous, a woman, not a boy, who could please Anna even with one kiss. It even helped that the scenery was romantic—a romantic rendezvous in a quiet garden. Their situation was also a little romantic because it was _forbidden_. Deliciously so.

When Anna sensed Elsa tilt her head to the side, she did the same thing to further deepen the kiss. She wanted it to last and she wanted to draw out as much passion as she could while still maintain a slow and tentative innocence to the kiss. She needed to keep it sweet and soft as well; she didn't want to scare off Elsa. She needed all these elements for their first kiss together successful, enjoyable.

Elsa pulled away first because she needed air. She looked at Anna and all she could think was 'wow.' She knew she could think of better thing than that, but her mind blanked during the kiss so her mind was still waking up from the experience. Even so, Elsa could feel her heart palpitate and her breathing was shallow. So was Anna's, even more shallow and quick than her own breathing.

Their eyes were locked. Their hearts beat like drums during a tribal ceremony, their rhythm loud and erratic, like thunder and lightning, but contained like the steady pitter-patter of rain. Sheer amazement glistened in their pupils as they took in the aftershock of the kiss.

Time was like waves at a shoreline for the platinum blonde and strawberry-blonde women: wild and rushing past them at first, then slows down to a lolling and slow lapping on the sandy shore of their lives. And as time slowed for them, so did their heart beats. It wasn't until their hearts' rhythm returned to normal that Anna took advantage of the calm and reached for Elsa's face again.

Noticing what Anna was doing, Elsa leaned in and met her halfway. Their second kiss was tender and sweet this time, nothing more and nothing less. It was all they needed at the moment. Their lips were gently pressed against the other's—red against pink— full, plump lips pushing against their equal. And just as soon as the kiss started, it ended. When the two women pulled back, they shared a smile. Perfect.

Anna spoke up with a light and airy voice. "Was that okay?"

Without saying anything, Elsa simply smiled. She took one of Anna's hands and laced their fingers together, feeling the smooth skin under their touch, feeling the contrasting temperature of the other's hand, warm and cool.

Anna chuckled. "I guess that's a 'yes.'"

Elsa couldn't believe herself. All she could do was hum in contentment. And that Anna could get out of her for the time being.

For the rest of the time they had together, Anna talked and Elsa listened. She wanted to say so many things to Anna, but her mind wasn't working properly at the moment. She decided she would speak later when she was able. For now, she was fine listening to Anna talk, or rather ramble to her. It was quite endearing and adorable in Elsa's opinion.

It wasn't until an hour passed that Elsa only able to say that they had to part ways. Anna knew that Elsa wanted to say something the whole time, but she figured she'd hear about it later. It was enough for her, at that moment, that they spent an hour alone together in the garden.

Anna got up and dragged Elsa with her. Realizing that they still had their fingers intertwined, Anna blushed and withdrew her hand from the older women's. She muttered out an apology and she got a quiet "it's okay" in response. Anna awkwardly waved goodbye to Elsa and Elsa waved back at her with a little more confidence in her wave in comparison to her companion's.

TBC…

* * *

** A/N #2: And I apologize for the length, but that's how things turned out. Hopefully from this point on I can do bigger time skips now that Elsa and Anna have started their relationship. The groundwork for their relationship has been laid down. All they need is to build it up now. **


	20. Mercy

**A/N: Whew! I finally updated the story. Sorry it took so long, guys. I thought I could have uploaded the chapter sooner, but I have been kept very busy. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update the story again. I'm hoping to graduate this semester and even though I have four classes one of my classes will have me reading a number of things at once. Because of this, I will not be able to determine how often I will be able to update, but I hope to put up a chapter before a month is up. Basically, my updating schedule will be sporadic for the foreseeable future until I graduate from college near the end of May.**

**I also would like thank for all of your support. I have been meaning to show my thanks in a few chapters now, but I kept forgetting. Anyway, I would like to say that it is very exciting me to have 219 followers and 107 favorites for the story. And it's nice to see the kind of reviews that come in. They are very encouraging and I always like it when people become involved with the story and the characters. As for how many reviews the story has…I think I'll count it having 108 so far because the 109****th**** one probably was a mistake or incomplete. It's bad because I was curious what starperformer4343 had to say. Sadly, I cannot PM them to ask about they meant to do.**

**As for this chapter, it will be another long as you guys can see. I'm not sure how the other chapters will turn out, but it is a possibility that the chapters will get longer depending on what has to be said.**

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For the first week of their secret relationship, Elsa and Anna hardly made any changes to their pre-existing routine. Anna wanted to make changes right away, being her eager self as usual, but Elsa wanted to be cautious. Anna agreed to both please and placate Elsa of any worries she had. She agreed to the condition of not making any changes to prove to Elsa that she cared and was serious about their relationship working. But in exchange, Anna warned, Elsa would have to concede to whatever plan Anna had in mind for the following week. It was only fair.

The following week Elsa and Anna made adjustments to their routine. Upon Anna's suggestion, they started out first by being a little intimate during their tutoring sessions. By the end of the week, they met up at Elsa's cottage and agreed on a pattern that would be easy for them to follow and would make others none the wiser of their love affair. But it took Anna some time to convince Elsa that after the first month that they should keep to a set schedule since Anna would be referring to Elsa as 'Eliot' in the company of friends, and with classmates and most other instructors if she had to, except for Mr. Vinter. They decided that he should know, but kept in confidence as well.

Everything fell into place after the second week. Elsa and Anna spent as much time together as possible and, as they learned more about each other, they grew closer. It wasn't long until both of them felt comfortable enough with the other at a level where they could talk for hours and that kissing came more naturally to them.

Their affection for each other grew to a point that, during another crossbow session, Anna nearly shot a deadly glare at a male classmate, who was appreciating Miss Arendelle's firm rear end. Fortunately Anna reminded herself to remain calm and instead diverted his attention by shouting his name. Miss Arendelle lightly admonished her for the outburst, but then things were clarified them when Anna explained herself to Elsa after class. Elsa gave her a quick peck as a reward for her chivalrous act. Anna's face was as red as her hair until she turned away from her platinum blonde lover and staggered away for the first yard or so back to the academy. Since then, they've had a steady relationship.

Anna was crouched behind a bush with her three other teammates looking for any signs of other teams. In the crisp afternoon air, Miss Arendelle's class was separated into teams. While five teams were made up of four members, one group was made of five members so that they would be designated as the "target group." Not only were the other teams competing to take down the target group, but the target group was also tasked with defending themselves from all other teams. Miss Arendelle explained to them that the exercise would be for team-building and for survival. She also said that once the target team was 'out,' then the other groups had to take each other out until one group was victorious. However, Miss Arendelle had told them that she would be participating and 'hunting' her students. The purpose of her doing this was to keep them to understand that even hunters can be hunted by far more skilled archers or other predators. Above all, Miss Arendelle noted that even if one person stands victorious from not being hit by an arrow, then their teammates would share the victory.

So far, the target group was still in the game and two hunter groups were 'out.' In addition, Miss Arendelle was hiding in the trees watching her students, picking out which team members to weed out first. Anna had a strange feeling that Miss Arendelle was probably waiting to take her down as one of her last victims or she simply was skilled enough to avoid her arrow strikes. It wasn't that far-fetched either since Miss Arendelle was an excellent tutor. But for the time being, Anna would just look out for other teams and work with her teammates on succeeding in the exercise.

"Anna, do you see anything?"

Anna turned her attention away from the nature-made peep hole of the bush in front of her to look back at her blonde and bulking friend. "No, Kristoff. I haven't seen anybody from the other teams." At this, Anna brought her attention back to the peep hole.

Another voice piped up. It was Eric. "How long have we been waiting for a team to come by?"

Without looking away Anna responded, "About thirty minutes."

Eric groaned. "I can't take waiting here for much longer. I'm going to go find a team and see what happens."

Anna whipped her head toward Eric in shock. "No! Don't do that, Eric. We'll wait for five minutes and then we'll move on to a new spot. Okay?"

Eric shook his head. "No. I can't wait any longer. If you want to stay here, fine by me, but I'm leaving."

"But Eric—" Anna's protest died in her throat as Eric stood up and walked away within seconds. Kristoff, Sven, and Anna watched him leave a little shocked at their teammate's decision to leave them.

"Wow, what a flake," Kristoff grunted. "I hope he gets struck by Hans's group. Or by Miss Arendelle. You never know where she's lurking and she always hits the students in the forehead with her blue dye on her arrows' blunt tips. It's almost like she's mocking us."

Anna nearly growled at her friend's ignorant comment, but she stayed calm. Instead she gave Kristoff a stern look. "I highly doubt that Miss Arendelle is mocking her students."

"But why is she aiming for the foreheads?"

"As I recall, Kristoff, she's only left marks on the foreheads on that one team. I mean, they asked for it. They left themselves wide open."

"Well, maybe you're right, Anna. But I have a feeling that Miss Arendelle is having fun with us."

Anna shrugged her shoulders. She didn't feel like having a serious conversation with Kristoff about whether Miss Arendelle was jerking around her students or not. "Maybe she's just making sure we stay on our toes. Anyway, I want to move on to a different topic. Do we want to stay here for a few more minutes or to move to a different spot?"

Kristoff didn't say. He still wanted to talk about Miss Arendelle, but he knew that Anna wanted to move on and that she was right to worry about something that was a legitimate concern.

At that moment, Sven decided to speak up for the rear times that he did. "How about we spread out to cover more ground? We can be out by ourselves for twenty minutes and after that we meet up at the east side of the lake."

Anna readjusted her feet so she could face Sven better. "I guess that's a good idea…But I was worried that we make our team vulnerable if we were separated."

Kristoff added, "Only Eric will be vulnerable to attack. We're more skilled archers than him, so we'll be fine if we separate."

"Okay. But remember, after twenty minutes we meet up again."

"Fine by me."

Kristoff and Sven stood together while it took Anna a little longer to stand up. Once she did, she stretched out her legs.

"Well, see you guys later." Kristoff waved farewell before heading off to his right side. Sven silently walked off in the opposite direction of Kristoff.

Anna brushed off some dirt before she gathered her equipment before walking past the bush she was crouching behind.

For five minutes of walking, Anna didn't come into contact with anybody. It wasn't until she heard voices that she dove behind the closest bush and crouched down. The team came into view and it was the target team. Anna readied an arrow and aimed for the member who was straggling at the end. She was about to shoot her arrow when another arrow zoomed from the opposite end and hit another team member with green dye. The remaining team members scattered. Anna growled. It was Hans's team who ruined her chance to get someone from the target team. And it didn't help that she heard them cackle. She waited for a while until she realized that they moved on to a different area.

Standing up from her crouch position, Anna took in her surroundings. Nothing. Anna sighed. She wasn't sure if she would ever get another person out of the game.

Sitting in a branch high above Anna was Miss Arendelle. She watched the redhead frustratingly kick at the dirt. She seemed like she needed someone to talk to without the risk of getting hit by a blunt arrow. Using her excellent acrobatic skills, Elsa effortlessly and stealthily got down from the tree and sneaked up behind Anna.

"Ahem."

Anna frantically spun around and nervously held up her bow and arrow, readying for the attack. She nearly dropped her guard when she saw it was Miss Arendelle, but then remembered that they doing an exercise.

Anna slowly backed away. "Miss Arendelle…What are you doing here?"

Elsa casually held her bow at her side and had her quiver of arrows sitting on her back. She took a step forward.

"Calm down, Miss Andersen. I'm not going to hunt you down."

"How can I trust you? You might be saying that so I let my guard down and fail the exercise."

Elsa lightly chuckled. "You're very determined, I'll give you that, but you're not going to fail the exercise even if you do let your guard down. The exercise is simply an exercise. How about we make a temporary truce for now, so that we can talk?"

Anna took another step back. "Talk about what?"

"Anna…"

The tension dropped from Anna's shoulders and the suspicion in her teal eyes disappeared when she heard Miss Arendelle drop the last name formality.

"What do you want to talk about, Elsa?"

"You seem tense. Does it have to do with the exercise?"

Anna lowered her bow and arrow by a smidge. "A little."

Elsa approached Anna and stopped when they were an arm span apart. "Why?"

Anna leaned against a nearby tree. "I guess it's the pressure of hunting and being hunted."

"I know…But I want to make sure you guys are prepared for as many different scenarios as possible."

Anna gave her instructor a half smirk. "I know." Then she let out a deep breath. "But it doesn't make it any easier, especially since I feel like I have to be in constant competition with Hans."

Elsa gave Anna a reassuring smile and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about competing with Mr. Westergaard right now. Just focus on the exercise itself. You can compete with your rival with other things later."

"Okay…"

Elsa looked around to see if there was anybody else around. "By the way, where are your team members?"

A heavy frustrated sigh escaped Anna's lips. "They got tired of waiting. As far as I can tell, Eric pretty much wanted to give up and left the three of us to think of an action plan." As Anna spoke, her frustration melted away and gradually turned in a matter-of-fact tone, almost edging on monotony but not quite. "We ultimately decided to separate anyways so we could cover more ground. It was Sven's idea to spread out. He said that after twenty minutes of searching that we should meet up at the east side of the lake."

Elsa took in the information Anna relayed to her and contemplated it. "Hmm…I suppose that means you're alone for now."

Anna gestured toward Elsa to prove her wrong. "Well, technically you're with me and you could strike me at any given moment."

"Maybe. But I'm not going to just yet. I thought I give you a break before I hunt you down again."

Anna rolled her eyes at Elsa before shrugging off her hand. "How generous of you."

Elsa had a full smile on. "I know. That's why you're fond of me, correct?"

Anna turned back to face the platinum blonde woman. "That's not the only reason, but you're correct. I am fond of you because of who you are as a person."

Elsa crossed her arms and kept her eyes on her favorite student. "You know, you should count yourself lucky. I have always prided myself in being fair to all my students, but you've burrowed your way into my heart and made yourself my favorite student. As part of my ethic code as a teacher, I really shouldn't favor anybody in my class, but I feel sympathy for you. Plus, you're the only student who has truly respected me as an instructor."

Anna chuckled. "I guess I am a lucky girl."

Elsa chuckled darkly. Anna knew that laugh. She gulped and readied herself.

Elsa's voice grew a little deeper, a little hungrier. "Your luck is about to run out soon, though. I think it's time our truce ended soon."

"Before you hunt me down—" Anna had a nervous smile on her face as she looked at Elsa, who had a half-lidded eyes and a determination that rivaled the heat of a fire. "How about we make a deal?"

Elsa's eyes widened with genuine curiosity. Her voice no longer had traces of a hungry hunter and shifted to a more playful tone. "Oh? What kind of deal?"

Anna's voice wavered only slightly. "We agree upon a five minute grace period before we're allowed to hunt each other. Whichever archer is the first to hit the other can make the loser do one thing they want to do."

Elsa subconsciously got her bow and arrow ready and kept a curious express on Anna's now fidgeting body. "So, the loser has to do what the winner wants to do?"

Anna fumbled for an arrow behind her and brought it to her lowered bow. "Yes. But the winner can only make the loser do one thing and one thing only. And remember, we should focus on hunting others before our grace period is over. We'll discuss what the winner wants from the loser after class."

Elsa seemed thoughtful for a moment considering the rules. "Fair enough." She cocked her head to the side and gave Anna that smile she didn't like because it meant trouble. "When does our truce end and our five minute grace period begin?"

"Now!" Anna darted through the bushes and went on her way to hit some classmates before she'd have to worry about getting Miss Arendelle.

Elsa lightly chuckled to herself. "Cute."

Within seconds, she gracefully jumped over the bushes and dashed through the trees like a deer and bounded up tree branches so she could strike some of her other students before her real fun of hunting her redheaded student began.

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Kristoff ever so slightly leaned over the tree he was leaning against and looked over his shoulder. All he could see was a calm clearing. He hadn't seen anyone for ten minutes since his team members agreed to go their separate ways. While Kristoff thought it was good to cover more ground, he wished Anna was by his side right now. He did love Sven's company, but he hardly spoke unless he found it necessary to do so. With Anna around, Kristoff always heard something bubble up from her mouth, even when they were waiting quietly for other teams to walk by their vision. She always had something interesting to say. Any guy would be lucky to have her.

Just then Kristoff thought back to that Eliot guy and mere thought of his name irked Kristoff. He didn't know why he disliked him so much. After all, he seemed to be a decent guy and he made Anna happy, but he didn't know the guy personally and Kristoff knew that he wished he was the guy that made Anna happy, especially the way she talked and had a smile on her sweet face that so big it could split the earth when she mentioned Eliot. Maybe if he met this Eliot guy that he would feel better about him whom Anna was so infatuated with. If it turned out that Eliot was some scrawny guy and if he could find out some horrible personality trait then maybe—

No! Wait. Kristoff couldn't think that way. He was supposed to be Anna's friend. That meant that he shouldn't be thinking about competing with Eliot or wishing ill of him. He needed to let Anna decide if Eliot was worth her time or not, not him.

Kristoff felt ashamed for what he thought about Eliot. He should just focus on being a good and supportive friend to Anna and enjoy what interactions her had with her. He also should just focus on going through with the exercise Miss Arendelle gave them. He refocused his gaze on the clearing.

Still, nothing.

All of a sudden he felt something bump the back of his head. Once it registered what possibly happened to him, Kristoff's eyes grew wide with horror. He quickly brought one hand to the back of his blonde hair and touched it. He felt something, but he couldn't tell what it was. Bringing his hand back to his face, he saw blue dye on his fingertips.

Kristoff groaned, "Oh, crap." That's what he got from being distracted and not paying attention to his surroundings better.

With a defeated sigh, Kristoff sequestered himself to the meeting spot at the lake, hunker down underneath a tree and wait for his two reliable team members to meet up with him.

When he got to the shore he was surprised to see Sven with a defeated look and a smear of green dye on his otherwise calm face.

"Hey, buddy…I guess Hans' team got you?"

Sven nodded.

"Miss Arendelle got me good in the back of the head. Well, I guess Anna's all alone in the trees. Do you want to sit down?"

Sven nodded again.

The two of them walked over to the closest tree and sat down next to each other under the shade of the thin branches with the abundance of sunlight as a warm welcome.

Anna's legs burned with each stretch as she raced and weaved through the trees and bushes. Her agreed upon grace period was over and she was being chased by Miss Arendelle. She could feel it. Maybe if she met up where Kristoff and Sven would meet up with her at the lake, then she could draw Miss Arendelle out in the open and strike her with a blunt arrow. However, Anna couldn't put that plan in action for two reasons: 1.) she too far away to immediately turn back toward the direction of the east side of the lake and 2.) she already was using all her energy just to outrun Miss Arendelle's trailing gaze. She knew that if she slowed down then Miss Arendelle would be able to strike her down.

But it seemed as her luck finally ran out as she made a U- shaped turn at the next tree and tripped over a root. She fell face first into the dirt and scraped the heels of her hands a little. Thankfully the skin hadn't broken, so she didn't have to worry about the little bit of blood dripping from her hands. Rolling herself around, Anna flopped onto her back only to find Miss Arendelle standing at an appropriate distance away from her with a smirk and a purposefully arrow pointing at her.

Anna groaned and closed her eyes. "Could you give me a moment to breath?"

Miss Arendelle didn't respond. Rather she quietly walked closer to strawberry-blonde girl that was going to be her last prey.

When Anna opened her eyes, she saw that Miss Arendelle had her bow lowered to her side in one hand and her arrow was limp in the other. Her instructor had a soft smile gracing her serene face. Anna wasn't sure what Miss Arendelle had in store for her, but she soon found out. Miss Arendelle extended her arm that held the arrow and gave Anna's chest a gentle tap, staining her green tunic with blue dye.

"I win."

"Huh?"

Miss Arendelle withdrew her arm and put the arrow back in the quiver. "I win. I will ask what I want you to do after class as we have discussed before."

Anna pushed the upper half of her body up and raised her eyebrows at her archery teacher. "That's it? I thought you were going to shoot at me from a distance."

"I thought so too until I changed my mind and decided to go easy on you."

Anna chuckled. "Really? Why?"

Elsa simply shrugged her shoulders. "I felt like it. Are you going to complain about me taking mercy on you or are you going to be grateful?"

"I would never imagine complaining about you having mercy on me. Thank you."

Elsa hummed as a way of accepting Anna's answer. She offered a hand to her and Anna took it. She felt herself being hoisted up by her archery instructor.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Anna looked down at the dirt and dug the toe of her right boot into the dirt. "I guess I lost our deal."

"Anna."

Anna looked up at Miss Arendelle in surprise. It was the second time that day that Miss Arendelle referred to her by her given name. It was usually something Anna should never expect from her instructor while they played the roles of teacher and student.

"Yes?"

Miss Arendelle gave her a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. "You may have lost our deal, but you've prove yourself to be a good archer so don't feel like today's exercise was a total failure."

Anna bowed her head. "Thank you, Miss Arendelle."

"Besides—"Miss Arendelle paused long enough for Anna to bring her attention back to a now smiling instructor. "I'm sure you'll be glad to do what I have in mind after class."

Anna's ears perked up at the mention of what she had to do as the loser. "What do you have in mind?"

Elsa stepped back. "You'll find out soon enough."

Anna pouted. "Fine. Be that way."

Elsa chuckled behind a poised hand. "Don't worry. The exercise is almost over as far as I can tell."

"How many people are left?"

"From what I saw beyond the trees as I made my rounds, I saw Mr. Westergaard and two other students standing their ground. They all are from different teams."

"Is anyone from the target team still standing?"

"I'm afraid not. They're all sitting down as a sad lump around a tree covered in purple and green dye."

Anna seemed genuinely interested in how the exercise would end. "Miss Arendelle?"

Elsa crossed her arms. "Yes, Miss Andersen?"

"Where is the class supposed to meet once the exercise is over and how will we know when to come back?"

"I'll be heading over to where the three remaining students are. Once I know who the victor is, then I'll stop the groups and tell everyone to meet up at the edge of the forest. You probably should go find your teammates and start heading back to the clearing outside of the trees."

"Yes, Miss Arendelle."

Elsa and Anna parted ways afterwards. When Anna found Kristoff and Sven, she told them, with altered detail how Miss Arendelle ultimately struck her down and told them about the exercise ending soon and that they should head back right away.

In the meantime, Elsa watched the three way standoff up in a nearby tree. She saw Hans strike an opponent with an arrow, but as soon as he readied his second arrow he got struck in the chest with red dye by a brunette girl. Elsa was glad that the exercise was over, especially since Hans wasn't the student to be victorious. She effortlessly jumped down from her hiding place, effectively yet briefly surprising her students and announced that the exercise was over. She made a path back to the outside of the forest and made sure her students followed her.

Most of her class was gathered around each other after five minutes passed. But she knew she was missing three students. She counted heads and realized that Anna and her two friends were straggling behind. Despite the rest of her class itching to return to the academy, Miss Arendelle requested that they all stay together until everyone was accounted for.

Finally, after a few more minutes had passed, Anna and her friends emerged with their equipment and came over to join their classmates. Miss Arendelle did a re-count and was satisfied that everyone was accounted for. She made a brief announcement of how impressed she was with the class's efforts before they were dismissed for an early day.

Once they were alone, Elsa turned back to Anna. "I hope you're prepared to uphold our deal," Elsa said with a smirk.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. I lost. You don't have to keep reminding me. Now, what is it that you want?"

"Come closer so I can tell you."

Anna did as she was told and looked at Elsa straight in the eye, awaiting her humiliation. But Elsa just smiled at her. "What? Aren't you going to make me do something?"

"I'm going to do something and you just stand still. Don't move, okay?"

Anna was wary of what Elsa meant by that, but then she reminded herself to go with whatever Elsa had in mind so she could be done with it.

Before Anna could register what Elsa was doing, the platinum blonde woman had her arms wrapped around the redhead's neck and pulled in close for a passionate kiss. When Anna's brain caught up to Elsa's actions, her eyes were wide from shock, but then slipped shut and placed her hands on Elsa's waist. She was so glad that she lost the deal.

Elsa deepened the kiss by tilting her head to the side. Anna reacted by pulling Elsa closer to her. Both of Elsa's slender hands shifted from their position around Anna's neck to her soft and rosy cheek where they were cupped by delicate fingers and the thumbs brushed against their blushing peaks.

Anna hummed with simple delight. Her mouth was warm and heart was beating like butterfly wings. She couldn't explain the feeling but she wished the moment wouldn't end. However, as luck would have it, it did end. Anna almost cursed herself for jinxing herself as they pulled away, but then when she looked into Elsa's eyes she forgot her frustration with herself and the universe.

Elsa simply smiled at Anna. "Well, I got what I wanted from you."

Anna stood still dumbfounded. "That's it? You win and you wanted me to do was let you kiss me?"

Elsa's smile did not falter. "You are correct."

"Why?"

"I already make you work hard as my student. I figure it would only be fair not to make you do something too hard when you would lose."

Anna's mouth was agape. She desperately wanted to say something, but she couldn't find any words to express what she was feeling at the moment.

In a low and taunting voice, Elsa leaned close to Anna. "I'm going back to the academy, Miss Andersen. You're welcome to walk with me if you can move fast enough."

Without another word, Elsa flounced away back toward the academy to dispose of the blue dye. Anna still remained in her spot for a few more seconds before coming to her senses and dashing toward her instructor.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Elsa only slowed down by a beat, but it was enough for Anna to ketch up with her. They walked together from that moment on, talking and occasionally teasing each other until they were ten feet away from the academy. When they were on the grounds, they conducted themselves in an appropriate manner and parted ways without raising suspicion to anybody to might have been around at the moment.

TBC…


	21. Like Poison

**A/N: Hello, all! I finally have some time to update the story. I'm going to be on Spring Break for the coming week, so I have some breathing. I'm not out of woods yet as I have homework and a midterm paper to work on over break, but I have more time to be at my laptop. Anyway, I finished the chapter a few days earlier, but I had to fix some errors so there's some more consistency and accuracy. One thing that was really bugging me was that I had been using "lounge" when I should have been using "common room" since it was introduced in the third chapter. So, I went ahead and changed all the "lounges" I could find and change them to "common room." The biggest culprits were ch.16-17. If you guys notice anything else that needs to be fixed, let me know. Thanks! Anyway...before I let you guys go and read the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy the chapter's ending.**

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Anna was rudely awoken on the first Sunday of November by loud knocking at her door. She groaned and turned her back to the door. The knocking became louder and more persistent.

Anna muffled a "go away" from underneath the sheets. This, of course, was not heard by the now-frantic knocker. Finally, Anna shot up in a sitting position and got out of bed, stomping to the door. She threw it open and was about to yell at the person responsible for her disturbing her slumber, but then her anger died down in her throat when she realized she saw it was Kristoff and Sven.

Anna rubbed her right eye and yawned. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to take you to the tavern."

Anna yawned again. "Isn't it a bit early for drinks?"

"Anna, it's noon," Kristoff deadpanned. "We were going to the tavern for a light meal."

At that moment Anna's conscience became fully awake and when the words sank in, Anna went bug-eyed. "What? I slept in?"

"Don't worry about it. Sometimes it just happens. Besides, it's Sunday so you don't have to worry about class until tomorrow."

"I guess you're right."

"Now, get dressed so we can head to the tavern."

It didn't take long for the trio of friends to arrive at Elderwood's tavern. Since the days were becoming cooler and cooler, the locals had wrapped themselves in thick and long hooded cloaks that were lined with fur along the opening and hoods of the cloaks. Fortunately for the three young adults, they had no trouble at all finding a table. Yet it wasn't surprising to them since Sundays weren't particularly busy days for the tavern.

While they munched on their light fare, as Kristoff had put it, the three friends drank their beer, laughed together, and generally had a good time. When they were satisfied with what they had in their bellies, the three friends turned the conversation to school, namely what Miss Arendelle had them do recently.

Kristoff leaned back in his chair and took a quick gulp of his beer. "I'm a little wary what Miss Arendelle has in mind for us when it comes to the obstacle course that will serve both as a survival course and as a mid-year test."

Anna leaned forward and raised an eyebrow at her blonde friend. "What? Pitching tents, making a fire, how to cook, and generally learning the know-how of camping?"

"No. Not those things she has us learning. I'm talking about the first-aid stuff. And the poisoned arrow tips. Aren't you worried what that implies?"

Anna waved off Kristoff's remark. "I'm sure Miss Arendelle is just preparing us for what we might encounter later on in the real-world."

"I hope so, Anna. I just don't want to go through the obstacle course and find out that someone is shooting poisoned arrows at us."

"I highly doubt that Miss Arendelle will leave us totally unprepared for a surprise like that. That's why she trains and teaches us the way that she does. She cares about us. Besides, it's not like we'll be alone. She explained to us on Wednesday that since there's an odd number of students that she'll need to tag along to have an even number of people for the buddy system to be at its most effective. She's also coming along to keep an eye on the class and that it'll make thing easier since we will be provided thirteen tents."

Kristoff grunted. "Yeah. She does need to come. Have you forgotten, Anna, that this will be the first year Miss Arendelle's class will be joined by other classes? Remember, the last thing this course is also a race. It's three fucking things rolled into one. Miss Arendelle probably needs to come along because other instructors will probably have to do the same."

"You don't know that, Kristoff. Miss Arendelle never said that all classes would be required to be chaperoned by their instructors or have a buddy system."

"If that's the case, then I wonder why Miss Arendelle is chaperoning us. Does she not trust us?"

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she doesn't certain students to not try and mess things up for the rest of the class or maybe she wants the class to trust her while she goes through the course with us."

Kristoff had set his glass down and stared at Anna. "Why are you defending Miss Arendelle so much?"

Anna simply shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what the big deal is. Why are you so against her? It's not like she has something to you to give you reason to dislike her, especially now when she's giving the class easier and more practical exercises as of late. What do you have against her, Kristoff?"

Kristoff frowned. Anna was right. He had no reason to be against Miss Arendelle, but for some reason he was in a mood and felt like judging his friend for being on Miss Arendelle's side. He supposed that his dislike was rooted on how she treated her students. She wasn't unkind, but she wasn't exactly friendly either. And despite Anna's attempts that not everyone has to be openly friendly to earn respect from other people, but he would keep brushing off her reminders. But that was in the past and for now he would just have to concede.

He sighed and looked at Anna with softer eyes. "Fine. You're right. I have no reason to be against Miss Arendelle. I guess I'm still having trouble accepting her the way that she is. I'm sorry."

Anna snorted. "You're forgiven." Then she lifted her glass and took a quick sip. "But what's really ironic is that you're not that approachable yourself and you have the nerve to judge someone who might be in a similar position as you are on a social level?"

"Hey!"

Anna had put down her beer. "You know it's true!"

From that moment on, Kristoff and Anna had been engaged in friendly banter. All the while, Sven quietly observed and enjoyed what he saw and heard from the two friends. He sometimes wondered if Anna made up Eliot to get Kristoff's attention. But he had nothing to prove his suspicion and he had formulated other suspicions about Anna's intent with Kristoff from previous days and weeks. He was waiting what would ever become of the two friends. Would they become more or would they simply remain friends? And how would Kristoff accept the fate of being Anna's friend? He had no idea, but he knew that if Kristoff needed someone to lean on, he would be there for him. And even though he would remain loyal to Kristoff, Sven still hoped that Anna had someone to depend on (who wasn't Eliot) if she's just as affected by a misunderstanding as Kristoff would be.

Anna and Kristoff's banter eventually melted away, opening up the conversation once again if Sven wanted to join in. The three of them chatted and finished their refreshments in half an hour and decided to head out of the tavern. They all walked back to the academy together until at a certain point where they parted ways for some downtime in their bedrooms or in the common room.

Once inside her room, Anna flopped onto her bed happy to be joined with her sheets one more. Turning onto her back, Anna folded her arms behind her head and stared at the ceiling.

"I wonder what Elsa is doing now?" Anna frowns as a thought immediately comes to mind. "I hope she's not just thinking of lesson plans for the upcoming week. I know she needs to, but I don't want to think that she does it for fun."

Anna became silent mulling over the thought she said out loud. After considering the thought some more and imaging what Elsa would be doing on a Sunday, Anna became accustomed that there would nothing wrong with Elsa finding some joy in making lessons plans. After all, they don't all to be tedious and boring to plan out. Anna knew that Elsa would never take great joy of creating lesson plans that would torture her students. She knew this even before she learned about Elsa as a person instead of as just an archery instructor. When in private, she was kind and a little shy, and Anna wished Elsa could feel free to show a side of her true self to her students, but Elsa had reminded her that she needs to uphold an air of authority and professionalism towards her class. Anna jested that she didn't do that with Anna. Elsa had grumbled out a "you're the exception" as a reply. Anna fondly remembers that moments because of ho pouty and stubborn Elsa was being and how sorry she was for putting her in such a mood. Anna remembered how she got Elsa to relax and forgive her for her little jab.

Anna blinked. She was getting carried away. But it wouldn't matter much. She wouldn't be able to figure out what Elsa did on Sundays, particularly those Sundays when Anna hadn't gone to see Elsa the previous day at her cottage. She supposed that part of her lover's life will remain a mystery to her for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Elsa was sitting at the dining room table and was writing in her diary about a dream she had the previous night. In her dream it just her and Anna. They were on the floor in front of fire, drinking red wine and huddled together under a wool blanket. Things were fine. Things were sweet and romantic between them. They finished their wine and had set the glasses aside and cuddled. Elsa recited romantic poetry to Anna and Anna wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist and planted feather-light kisses on her neck every so often. Then, the dream turned heavy in a way. Their kissing, which started out passionate and sweet, turned hungry and lustful. They stood up and tumbled against a wall. Elsa had Anna pinned to the wall and sucked hard on her neck. Things seemed to escalate and then Elsa woke up. Elsa wrote all of this down in her diary and when she was done, she read it to herself. After finishing reading her diary entry, Elsa thought about what would happen if her dream continued. The more she thought of continuing the dream, the more she had the urge to do just that.

Elsa couldn't stand it. She was brimming with curiosity wanting to finish her dream. Elsa stood up and desperately strode towards her bedroom. Once inside she closed the door and settled underneath the sheets of her bed, determined to get into the right mood for dreaming. She promised herself she'd analyze what it meant when she was done.

Time would later show that she couldn't keep to the end of her original goal and she was lucky she didn't miss her chance at having some dinner before going to bed.

TBC…


	22. A Lesson in Gratitude

**A/N: Hello again! I'm sorry for the delay, but I had to take care of some things before I got back to writing the story. Hopefully I'll be able to update the next chapter a lot sooner than this one since I already started working on it. And as a heads up things will start getting more serious in the next chapter.**

* * *

The next day Elsa approached the roll-call area toting a woven basket with a red cloth covering up whatever she had brought. She had set the basket down at her right side and stood in her usual military stance waiting for her students come to roll-call. Once everyone was present, she greeted them. They mumbled a uniformed "Hello, Miss Arendelle," with the exception of one happy voice that stood out. Elsa didn't need to look in the direction of the voice to know who it belonged to and smirked to herself.

"So, how was your lunch, class?"

The students felt apprehensive in answering their instructor's question. They didn't like where things were going by the way she asked it. Picking up on her class's unease, Miss Arendelle tried again.

"Did you guys enjoy your lunch?"

Some of the students mumbled a "yes." It was a small improvement, so Miss Arendelle nodded in acknowledgement.

"Are you guys full?"

That got the class's attention. They weren't quite sure what Miss Arendelle was going for, so they shrugged their shoulders.

Miss Arendelle raised an eyebrow at her class. "You guys can't tell if you're full or not? Do you guys not get enough nourishment?"

This got a better answer from her students. They jumped up at the chance to say that they get plenty of nourishment. Then, finally some student confessed that they felt a little full because they were still disgusting.

Miss Arendelle smiled. "Well, that's too bad. It'll make today's exercise that much harder for you guys to complete."

Everyone looked puzzled. Miss Arendelle bent over and picked up the woven basket by her side, cradled it in one arm and pulled the red cloth back with her free hand to reveal her specialty, decadent double chocolate cupcakes. Miss Arendelle looked up to her students and saw twenty five pairs of eyes opened wide and twenty five pairs of drooling mouths. She was glad to see that her students appreciated the sight of the cupcakes, but she was curious how they would respond to the exercise she had in mind for them. She hoped that the students appreciated the exercise just as much as they would appreciate the cupcakes.

After last night's activities, Elsa felt that she needed to cleanse her, so she bathed herself before going to bed. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. She decided to do something to cleanse her mind and spirit and went into the kitchen to bake her cupcakes. While she waited for them to bake, she knew she couldn't eat all of them even if she stretched them out. Then it hit her. She could incorporate them into Monday's exercise in preparation for the week-long mid-year survival test. She decided the cupcakes will act as a reminder that a small reward is sometimes the only reward people will get from putting in hard work. It also served as a reminder that people should learn to appreciate the small things in life. In other words, she'd make her students work on gratitude and patience. This is how she got the idea of baking cupcakes for her class.

"Well, now, I see that you guys are interested in the cupcakes."

On student asked, "Yeah. Are you going to give them to us?"

"Maybe. What would you be willing to do for a cupcake?"

One student offered "twenty push-ups." Another student said "five minute planks."

Anna was fuming inside because of the level of ignorance her classmates apparently held for not knowing what it take to keep their figure and what one cupcake was worth working for. They had no idea that their teacher was offering them a heaven-sent gift.

Miss Arendelle chuckled. "No, but I appreciate your effort. I actually have something in mind for you guys to do to earn a cupcake. And remember: one cupcake per person. No one is allowed more than cupcake for the exercise. You have to learn to appreciate the small rewards or blessings that come your way when it comes to the obstacle course. And…it might even be a lesson in having better faith in people in what they're capable of doing when it comes to pooling our resources and talents together."

The class stood still in a moment of confusion.

Then, Miss Arendelle clarified, "How many of you think I bought these cupcakes?"

Everyone raised their hands except for Anna.

"Hmm. Interesting. All of you, except for Miss Andersen, think that I bought the cupcakes." Turning her attention to Anna, Miss Arendelle addressed a question towards her. "Why do you think I baked these cupcakes myself, Miss Andersen?"

"Because they look homemade… And I think that if you're a talented archer that there's no reason for me to think that you're not also potentially skilled in other things, like baking."

Miss Arendelle grinned. She was glad that Anna was a clever girl.

"I'm glad that at least one of my students has faith in me when it comes to baking." She went back to look at the rest of the class. "As it turns out, Miss Andersen is right. I baked these cupcakes myself. I hope you guys like them once you earn them for what we'll do today."

Miss Arendelle pulled the red cloth back over the cupcakes and set the basket back down in its original spot. She folded her arms behind her back.

"Now, time for exercise."

The class was covered in a thin layer of sweat and was all red in the face as they finished their fourth lap around the whole perimeter of the academy. Once they finished their lap, they all trotted over to the roll-call area and jog to Miss Arendelle where they would quickly receive a cupcake each before rounding their instructor to return to their spots and enjoying their cupcakes. The occasional moan of sheer joy came out after a student would take their first bite of their cupcake they had graciously received from Miss Arendelle. The cupcakes, as Anna suspected, were moist and had the perfect amount of ganache in the center. Everyone melted on the inside and some students moaned from the pure deliciousness that was Miss Arendelle's decadent double chocolate cupcakes. When they finished off their splendid treat, the class thanked Miss Arendelle for the cupcakes.

Miss Arendelle gave her class a small, barely-there smile. She proceeded to tell them the importance of being grateful for small rewards even when they feel like they deserve bigger rewards. She also made a point to have better faith in each other when it would come to the survival test they would have to endure in December. Afterwards, she had them do twenty jumping jacks, twenty lunges, and twenty sit-ups before she dismissed the class for the rest of the day. Despite the extra work they had to do, some of her students formed a new respect for their instructor and felt less intimidated by her militaristic stance and aura. In all it was a good day for Miss Arendelle and her students as she improved her relationship with them. Perhaps they would be completely ready by the time the survival test came around and that they could function as a cooperative team to help each other get through the obstacles that awaited them for the mid-year survival obstacle course and test.

Once everyone was gone, though, she still had one student who lingered: Anna. She had a smile on her face. And the smile was brighter than the smiles she usually has on her bright and young face. Elsa puts her hands on her hips and cocks an eyebrow up.

"What?"

Anna bit her lower lip and kept on smiling.

Elsa still was unsure of what was going on with the strawberry-blonde girl she had become quite fond of. So, she repeated herself: "What?"

"You've started to open up with your students."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No. I'm just glad that you finally started."

"Alright…Aren't you going to join your friends back at the academy?"

"I will."

"When?"

Anna walked up to Elsa, looked straight into her icy blue eyes with her warm teals, and then suddenly pecked her on the right cheek. "Now."

Elsa was left speechless as she watched Anna happily turn around and walk back towards the academy. And just as Anna was humming a pleasant little tune to herself, the smallest amount of blood rushed to Elsa's pale cheeks making them a little pink.

Without ceremony, Elsa picked up the basket and headed back toward her cottage. On her return trip back to her home, she calculated all the other exercises she would need to introduce to her class in order for them to get through the obstacle course in December.

TBC…


	23. Trouble

Since she still had plenty of afternoon sun left to soak up, Anna chose to stay outside a little longer and take a little walk. She wandered around the courtyard for no more than two minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Anna turned around to endure looking at the unpleasant face of Hans. As of late he had been trying to cheat his way through some of the more challenging exercises in a vain attempt to be the best archery student Miss Arendelle has ever seen and hopefully woo her as a result. However, Hans was unaware that Anna had come forward to Miss Arendelle when their rivalry formed allowing the elite archer to be aware of his cheating tactics and thwarting them whenever possible without rising suspicion in him or his friends who have been helping him. But that didn't stop Anna from disliking him even more. Seeing his face now made her scowl at him and to cross her arms in an act of disgust and defense.

With barely restrained contempt in her voice, Anna directed her bitter words at Hans. "What do you want, Hans?"

Hans's face twisted up like warped wood and his voice was as sour as a green apple. "What are you doing being Miss-Little-Suck-Up?"

Anna scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Hans took a step toward Anna. His glared down at her and an ugly snarl crawled on his face. "I'm talking about you thinking that Miss Arendelle made those cupcakes instead of buying them."

Anna kept her arms crossed, but shrugged her shoulders in nonchalant manner. Her voice shifted from being borderline poisonous to being stern and controlled. "What's wrong with that? I don't see how having faith in people's ability to do anything should be considered a bad thing."

"What's wrong is I think you're sucking up to her, that you're her little pet! I bet you've made a deal with Miss Arendelle that if you make her look good then she'll let you pass her class."

Anna threw her arms in the air. She could not believe Hans's audacity to say such things to her face.

"I cannot believe this! It's not like I'm cheating like you are, Hans."

Hans was red in the face. Anna had her arms back in their crossed position. She was waiting to hear what he had to say next.

"Shut up, you little piece of—"

Hans was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see a seething Kristoff. His hands were on his hips and he towered over the arrogant archery student. Anna noticed who came to her side and noticed Kristoff. She lowered her arms to her sides figuring she could relax her tense body a little bit.

"I hope you weren't planning to say what I thought you were going to say about Anna."

Hans huffed. He wanted to out Anna for being Miss Arendelle's favorite student and show that she was taking advantage of the situation somehow, but he also didn't feel like going head to head with Kristoff without his friends to back him up. So instead he mumbled and left in peace.

When Hans was gone Kristoff dropped his tough-guy demeanor and checked to see if Anna was okay.

"Are you alright, Anna?"

Anna cracked a smile. "Yeah. Thanks for the help, Kristoff."

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck and a little pink blush made its way to his cheeks. "Ah, it's not a problem, Anna. I was starting to wonder why you would occasionally come back to the academy later than the rest of the class after Miss Arendelle would dismiss us."

Anna blushed. She hadn't realized she'd been so obvious in staying back for a few extra minutes to talk to Miss Arendelle after class. She supposed she could tell the truth as it was innocent enough a reason as to why she stayed behind, but she was also afraid that Kristoff wouldn't understand or he would tease again for being Miss Arendelle's teacher's pet. But she didn't want to mislead him too much so she settled for a compromise.

"Well, I don't always stay behind because Hans is being a major ass to me. Sometimes I stay behind because I have a question to ask Miss Arendelle or because I just like taking my time walking."

"I wish I knew."

"It's okay, Kristoff. I'll try to not make you wait and worry over me too much. Now, let's get inside before it gets cold."

Kristoff dropped his hand and relaxed his shoulders. The blush on his face had quickly faded away as he gave Anna a goofy grin. "Great! I'll race you to the entrance."

Anna mirrored Kristoff's enthusiasm and joy. "You're on!"

* * *

Once dinner was over, Sven had gone straight to his room to sleep leaving Anna and Kristoff alone together. Kristoff offered to walk with Anna in the garden, but she politely declined his offer. Kristoff looked at her funny.

"Is it because you're meeting Eliot?"

Anna didn't know what it was in his voice, but she could have sworn it was akin to jealousy. Why would should he jealous? They were good friends and he knew that she was with 'Eliot.' Unless it was possible that he wanted to be more than friends with her and feels snubbed that she had found a guy before he had the chance to ask her himself.

"No, Kristoff. I just want to be alone for a while."

Kristoff seemed to be worried and a little angry now. "Why? Did he hurt you, Anna?"

"No. I just want to walk alone. I haven't had much alone time recently except for when I'm in my room and I thought I'd enjoy a quiet stroll through the garden to clear my head and relax."

Any anger that had arisen in Kristoff quickly vanished. "Oh."

"Yeah. Well, goodnight, Kristoff."

"Goodnight, Anna."

Kristoff dropped his head and headed to his room. Anna felt a little bad since Kristoff was a good guy, but she needed time to herself and think some things over. She mostly had to think of a way to be more careful while around Kristoff so she didn't accidentally expose her relationship with Miss Arendelle.

She went outside to the garden and walked around for quite a while before she found a bench to sit down at and take a break. There she rested her elbows on her knees and cradled her face in her hands looking out a fountain some feet away from her. The water bubbled to the third tier, splashed back down to the second tier and pooled around the base of the fountain. Looking at the constant motion of the water was soothing to Anna and was exactly what she needed to clear her head and organize all the thoughts that had been buzzing her head since she and Kristoff had spoken in the late afternoon.

She knew she had to be more careful around Kristoff, but how she was going to do that? She wanted to talk to Miss Arendelle. Unfortunately, their talks after class weren't exactly necessary. And yet Anna didn't want to go back to the academy so soon. Usually she'd go spend time with Kristoff and Sven, have dinner with them, and then go to her room to maybe read and then go to sleep. At least when she spoke with Miss Arendelle, she added some variety to her routine and she thought she wasn't doing it so frequently, but it seems that Kristoff was paying more than she originally thought. She was certain that he would be so absorbed in talking with Sven that he wouldn't notice her absence that much. But it was not so.

What bothered Anna the most about Kristoff paying attention to her absence wasn't that he was doing it, but why he doing it. She had an inkling that he had feelings for her beyond friendship. She didn't know what to do since he seemed to remain persistent in his attempts even though she was supposed to be with 'Eliot.' Kristoff did care about her and understood that she was spoken for, but maybe he thought they weren't serious or maybe…

Then it hit Anna. Maybe Kristoff didn't believe she was in loving and committed relationship until he had proof that 'Eliot' loved her and that they were exclusive to each other.

Anna could feel a warm blush cover her cheeks as a thought came to her: what if she would have to show 'Eliot' off to Kristoff to prove to him that he should stop his attempts in winning her over. Anna could only imagine the flustered expression cross Miss Arendelle's face once she told her of the plan. But then Anna's blush intensified as she imaged Miss Arendelle in a dashing outfit to play the part of her mysterious male lover.

Anna buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes shut. She couldn't think of Miss Arendelle that way or else she wouldn't know what to do. Taking a deep breath, Anna lifted her head and returned her gaze to the fountain. It was possible that she didn't have to show off Miss Arendelle as 'Eliot' in front of Kristoff and just give him some other proof of her and 'Eliot's' true love for each other. Maybe a love letter would do. But how would she get such a thing? Could she ask Miss Arendelle to write one? She most likely would have to because Kristoff would probably notice how fake the letter was if she wrote it herself. She had no other choice but to ask Miss Arendelle for a letter. And if it works and Kristoff doesn't ask any further questions, then they won't have to result to having Miss Arendelle dress up as a handsome boy who's a student of the academy.

It was decided. Anna would have Miss Arendelle write a love letter to her or dress up as a boy as a back-up plan. The only problem was how embarrassed and flustered Anna felt when she thought of Miss Arendelle's fine figure fitting into dapper clothing and being able to hold her like she wishes to at the waist, to be pressed close to her side, and to be held openly and freely as Miss Arendelle is—as a woman. She hoped that someday they could lace their fingers together in pubic and no one would think twice about the action.

Anna took a few deep breaths to calm down and wait for her cheeks to cool down. Then, she stood up from the bench and headed toward her room in the academy. And one thought lingered in Anna's mind long after she left the garden and went to bed: Miss Arendelle in a prince's uniform with a sword hanging from her waist and being pulled into a heated kiss by the lapels. Yet at some point, Anna's mind shifted to Miss Arendelle's feminine form where she appreciated every curve of her body before they fell onto Anna's bed and kiss passionately in her dreams.

TBC…


	24. The Letter

Anna went to Miss Arendelle's cottage earlier than usual that Saturday. She left the academy after breakfast telling Kristoff and Sven that she would be busy for either most or all of the day since she had quite a few tasks to take care of.

When Kristoff asked if he and Sven could help with any of the tasks, Anna waved off his offer and told him not to worry because most of the tasks didn't require much physical strength, but she needed time to complete all of them in one day. And while she could usually waited until it was close to lunchtime, Anna needed the extra time to form a plan with Miss Arendelle and have proof of her and 'Eliot's' relationship was real and serious to show Kristoff once and for all that she was happy and safe with her new lover. She hoped that all she had to was show a letter to Kristoff and maybe read a few lines or so from it.

So, Anna had gone off to Miss Arendelle's cottage five minutes after Kristoff and Sven went off somewhere to spend some time together. Upon her arrival, Anna took off her boots and knocked on the door. Thankfully, Miss Arendelle answered the door in the same time span it took for her to answer the door. Her smiling face greeted Anna the moment her beautiful face came into view.

"Anna. You've come over early. What's the occasion?"

"I have a problem."

Elsa's smile drooped down into a frown. "What's wrong?"

Anna had let herself into the cottage and plopped down on the couch. Elsa immediately closed the door and joined her sitting on her left side. She instantly had a comforting hand on the younger woman's back and rubbed it between the shoulder blades in a circular motion.

"Tell me what's wrong, Anna."

"Kristoff won't leave me alone."

Elsa halted her hand's motion but kept it on Anna's back. As far as she could recall Kristoff was good friends with Anna and he was one of her better behaved students.

"What do you mean, Anna?"

Anna turned to face Elsa and looked like she wanted to cringe for what she was about to say next. The sight concerned Elsa, but she knew she had to be patient to see what her sweet Anna had to say.

"Kristoff likes me more than just a friend even though he knows about 'Eliot.' I suspect that he's not fully convinced that my relationship with you is real and serious nor does he think I'm safe and happy with you."

_Oh._

Now Elsa completely understood what the problem was. She looked deep into Anna's teal eyes to try to see if she had a plan.

"What do you plan to do?"

Anna subconsciously shifted on the couch so that her knees were touching Elsa's and that she was leaning closer to her lover's more so than before.

"I was thinking that you could write me a love letter as 'Eliot' and I'd show it to Kristoff in hopes he'll give up on trying to pursue me and be fine being friends with me."

"Do you have a back-up plan?"

This is where Anna couldn't hold back a blush. She had trouble looking at Elsa straight in the eye at first, but then her embarrassment settled down and she was able to hold eye contact.

"Yes, but it would involve you dressing up and acting like a guy."

A pink blush stained Elsa's porcelain cheeks. "Oh my."

"Yes. I'm sorry, but we might have to do that if Kristoff isn't satisfied with the letter….I'm hopeful that the letter will be enough. It should be enough and we won't have to resort to having you to dress up and be my young gentleman."

Elsa gulped. "Yes. That's fine. I'll be happy to help you with this predicament any way I can."

"Great. So, what should we do now?"

"I think we should whatever we can possibly do to enjoy each other's company and to give me inspiration if I'm to write a love letter to you as your young man who's completely enamored by you."

Anna cracked a smile and stifled a giggle. "I suppose you're right, my sweet love. But I can't stay here too late. I have to get back to the academy in time to show Kristoff the letter."

Elsa mirrored Anna's smile and then captured one of her hands to bring it up to her lips and leave a light kiss on the backside. Elsa looked at Anna with half-lidded eyes and affection.

"Of course, Anna. I wouldn't want my princess to be late for her curfew at midnight."

Both women laughed at the joke. Once they calmed down, though, they were quiet for a moment. And then they leaned in for a tender kiss.

The kiss was sweet and smooth like honey, yet brief like a passing breeze. Anna pulled back enough to admire Elsa's beautiful face.

"I missed being with you like this."

Elsa simply smiled. "The feeling is mutual."

"Have I've been doing well in your class? Do you think I'm ready for the mid-year test?"

"Yes. You are. If I ever needed a student to be my second-in-command for emergencies, you'd be the first I'd pick."

A coy smile curled up upon Anna's satisfied face. "Oh, really? Is that so?"

"Yes," Elsa said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Anna seemed very pleased to hear such news from her archery teacher and secret lover. But something gnawed at her conscious mind: curiosity.

"So, who would you choose after me if I was unable to uphold the duty of being a leader?"

"Your friend Kristoff would be a good alternative after you. And to be honest, there are so few students in the class that can have all the traits needed to be a proper leader. You and Kristoff are the only students I know so far who match the criteria."

Anna slipped her hands back around Elsa's neck as she leaned in to hear the older woman better.

"And what is the criteria?"

"A proper leader needs strong conviction, good communication skills, be well-respected by their followers, have a strong will, sagacity, and have to be one of the strongest archers of the group. You're my first pick not only because you're my favorite student, but because you have all the qualities of a good leader. Kristoff has all the qualities as well, but he needs to work on his communication skills if he hopes to garner enough respect from the class to listen to him. Other students that I might have considered lack about half of the qualities."

"What about Hans?"

Elsa was surprised by the question for a split second, but then regained her composure.

"He could be a good leader, but he would come off as being too arrogant to gain respect by his classmates, aside from his friends. Part of being respected by your followers is to remain humble and patient. Having their respect actually implies much more than simply having respect. You have to earn it and you got what it takes to earn that respect from your classmates. Plus, Hans's arrogance would be his greatest downfall because it would prevent him from making judicious and clear-headed decisions, and he would make assumptions not communicating what he's thinking all the time. But if he wasn't arrogant than I would say he had the potential of becoming a proper leader."

"Let's just hope it never has to come to Hans becoming a group leader."

"I hope so too. I can't imagine how things would turn out if he was the last alternative to being the class's group leader in an emergency."

"Well," Anna pulled Elsa closer to her, "let's not worry about Hans. Let's focus on what we'll do together."

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's waist and closed her eyes halfway. "Okay. What shall we do?"

Anna had to think what she wanted to say to Elsa next and hummed while she thought. Once she had something in mind, a coy smile appeared on her face.

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure how you'd feel about it."

"What did you have in mind, Anna?"

"I was thinking we would go rest on your bed and read love poems to each other."

Elsa made a hum in agreement and her mouth curled up into a satisfied smile. She brought a hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Anna's right ear.

"I think that sounds like a lovely idea. Let's not waste any more time sitting here."

"Great." Anna pecked Elsa on the lips before standing up. Elsa quickly followed Anna from the couch, laced their fingers together, and led her to her bedroom for the first time.

* * *

"And I forever will want nothing but you. I forever will only need you, for it is you who provide all for me. And in return I will provide everything for you."

Elsa closed the book she had been reading from and turned to face Anna. "So, what did you think of that last one?"

Anna had a dreamy look on her face. "It was the perfect ending to a wonderful time of reading love poems to each other."

"You enjoyed our activity that much?"

"Yes, but what I love most is simply spending time with you, Elsa. When we're alone like this, I feel at ease."

Elsa placed the book down on her dark blue comforter and a humble smile formed on her face.

"I feel the same way, Anna. You help me relax in ways Olaf couldn't do even though he has tried. It's just that with you, I'm able to let go and feel carefree and happy when we're alone. I guess it partly has to do with the fact that we have some privacy in my cottage and partly because you have a positive influence on my life."

Without saying anything, Anna leaned in and kissed Elsa on the mouth. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"Me too," Elsa said with a twinkle in her eye. Then she looked up at the wall count mounted above her bedroom door and noticed that most of the afternoon had escaped them. Her good mood faded to a considerable degree, with her smile slowly turning into a solemn flat line.

"I think I need to write you that letter, so you can show it to Kristoff and hopefully he'll stop pursuing you and move on."

Anna pouted. She didn't want to leave so soon because her time with Elsa didn't feel like it was enough. And even though she took a quick glance at the time, seven hours felt more two hours. But she knew she had to leave soon. If she stayed any longer she would feel tempted to stay past dinner time. Anna knew that Elsa needed time to write a love letter to her as 'Eliot' and she needed time to show it to Kristoff before the day was completely done.

"Fine," Anna said with a hint of displeasure in her voice.

Elsa, as an attempt to placate her lover, kissed her forehead before getting up from the bed and sitting at her desk, where she pulled out a pen and some parchment. Anna, feeling curious, rose from the bed and joined Elsa over at her desk where she leaned over her shoulder and watched her write a love letter. But she didn't get to see much because Elsa wanted it to be a surprise for Anna, so the redhead ambled back to the bed and lay down on the covers waiting for Elsa to finish her little project.

When it was time for Anna to return to the academy, it was five in the afternoon. Elsa gave her one last kiss before sending her off back to the academy with the letter. She advised Anna to wait to read the letter when she got back to the academy. She didn't care if she read it first to herself and then aloud to Kristoff; she just wanted Anna to wait until she was at the academy to read her letter. Anna promised Elsa to wait and then bid her a farewell.

"Hey, Kristoff!" Anna waved toward the burly blonde young man as she saw him alone in the foyer the moment she got back to the academy. She slowed to a halt as she noticed he stood still in the middle of the room. She stopped just in time too before she barreled into him.

Kristoff blinked first and then had a big smile on his face happy to see Anna back early. "Hey, Anna! I see you got your errands done."

"Yep."

While Anna showed off a toothy grin, trying to be convincing as possible, Kristoff couldn't help but notice the piece of parchment scrunched in Anna's right hand and gestured towards it.

"Hey, Anna, what's that in your hand?"

Anna had a confused look on her face at first, but then it dawned on her what Kristoff was talking about. She lifted the letter up to her face and remembered what Elsa told her. She looked back at Kristoff. She decided it was the time to prove to him that she and 'Eliot' were serious.

"Oh, it's a letter from Eliot. He was on his way to deliver it my room, but then he ran into me. He told me he wished he had time to talk, but he was in a hurry. So, he gave me the letter and kissed me on the cheek before going off whatever errand he had to do."

Kristoff crossed his arms. "And what was that?"

"He had to write a letter to his parents."

Kristoff's voice dropped. "Oh."

Anna began to unfold the wrinkled letter and smooth it out. And as she did this, she spoke in a nonchalant manner. "Anyway, Kristoff, I was thinking I'd prove to you how serious Eliot and I are so you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Why is that?"

"So you can stop worrying about me being with Eliot so much."

"Fine. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to hear what Eliot thinks of you. At least if I hear the letter I'll have a better idea of what kind of guy he is."

"Exactly! Now, here goes nothing…"

Anna finished smoothing out the letter, held it in both hands and took a deep breath.

"Dear Anna,

I cannot fathom being separated from you every day and night we are apart from each other. Each day I spend without you is torture, but each night is sheer hell since they seem to last longer because I spend more nights without you than days. I wish that you, my dear sweet love, and I could spend every moment together while we are awake or asleep, but it cannot be so. At least it will not be forever until we can be together and yet it feels like forever. To give my aching heart some relief while I wait the days until you're in my arms, and until we can see each other more often, I will list the ways of what I love about you, with deep affection and passion, my love: you're eyes shine like stars and their color is warm and bright like the water surrounding an exotic island; your freckles are the color of cinnamon and as bespeckled as the constellations of the heavenly universe above our heads; your lovely curves are as smooth and silky as the entrancing fluid motion of silk ribbon flowing in the wind; your heart has more gold than most people are born with in their own hearts and you share your treasures with those you have found worthy of your affection; your skill as an archer, as I should judge unequivocally, to rival that of your instructor, Miss Arendelle; your touch is a thousand sensations of its own. When you caress my face, when you grip my arm, or take my hand, my hearts soars. You stir within me a great and unrivalled excitement when you stroke or pat my thigh under the table and when we cuddle underneath a blanket near a raging fire I—"

"Okay! That's enough!"

Anna lifted her gaze up from the letter to Kristoff's flustered face.

"What's the matter, Kristoff?"

"I understand now." He let out a heavy sigh and his face showed resignation and acceptance however reluctant is was. "I now know that Eliot loves you deeply and I have no doubt in my mind that he treats you well." Kristoff took pause as if to consider saying something else, then adding, "But if you and Eliot are having problems, let me know so I can talk to him and set him straight."

Anna really didn't know how to respond to Kristoff's words, so she did the next best thing and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Kristoff, but I don't think you'll have to worry. Eliot and I are happy to be together. If everything goes well, we'll deepen our relationship. But I'm glad you're being such a good friend about this whole thing. I know that I don't spend as much time with you and Sven as I used to do, but that's because I need to spend some time alone and other times with Eliot."

Despite the slowly fading ache in his heart, Kristoff gathered the strength to form a small yet sincere smile with his lips. "No problem, Anna. I'm always happy to be your friend."

"Great!" Anna gave Kristoff a quick hug before pulling back. "I have to go and put this letter away in my room! I'll see you and Sven later."

"Okay. See you later, Anna."

Kristoff waved to Anna as he watched her happily dash off toward her room. He may have trouble getting past a painful truth, but he was willing to still remain as Anna's friend. At the very least he could continue to spend time with her and be close to her even if it's in a platonic way. Maybe someday he'll find someone new to have like how Anna has Eliot, but until then he'll need time to come to terms with how he feels toward Anna and focus on what he can do for her as her friend.

TBC…


End file.
